That I Would Be Good
by HaleyBub
Summary: It's basically the story of Peyton and Brooke's friendship since Peyton's mom died in a car accident, and how they went through everything with no parents around and only each other to rely on. COMPLETE!
1. Fear

**Chapter 1 - Fear**

- Brooke, Peyton, I've already asked you to pay attention. You don't want me to call your moms and make them come here, do you?

- Sorry, Mrs. Kim – the two nine-year olds looked at their teacher with the most innocent faces they could manage.

- Alright, let's carry on then… we were talking about fractions. You have a square divided in six parts – the teacher explained, drawing a square on the board as she talked – if we wanted two thirds of it, how many parts would we get?

A little girl raised her hand immediately, and the teacher smiled.

- Haley, can you tell the answer?

- Four! – she smiled, proud, and the teacher nodded.

Brooke looked at her. How could she possibly know that? It didn't make any sense to her, and apparently to many other people in class. The bell rang and Peyton gently tapped her back.

- Enough with daydreaming!

- Oh! Look who's talking, Ms. 'I-don't-care-about-classes-cause-I-have-my-funny-drawings'? – she said, trying to talk like her friend.

- Come on, you couldn't stop laughing with the one I made of Mr. Ford on my mom's clothes.

- Yeah, _that_ was good! – she laughed at the memory.

They both walked out of class, to their lockers to dump all their things there. It was their last class of the day.

- Brooke, hey – her best friend Dana came happily to her – you wanna go to my place?

- Yeah, sure! – she turned to Peyton and waved goodbye – See you tomorrow!

Peyton waved back and the two girls walked away with linked arms. Brooke liked going to Dana's place. She liked her best friend's parents better than her own. Brooke's parents were never around, even when they were home. They were always working, or they had more important things to do than talk to her, or play with her. So she didn't even have to ask them to go somewhere after school. She'd been to Peyton's place once or twice, and her mom seemed pretty cool too. Her dad was away all the times she was there. Peyton was nice, she and Brooke had become friends a few months ago, when they were put together on a school assignment. Peyton had this edgy temper, sometimes she was all happy and the other day she'd be grumpy and barely talking to anyone. Well, at least her drawings were the funniest thing, they always made Brooke laugh, even when she was a little sad. Which was rare, by the way, since Brooke was probably the cheeriest kid in school, and everyone seemed to admire her. She dressed like the girls in junior high, but the boys in her grade were too dumb to think about anything other than playing basketball all the time. Putting a ball through a hoop? What was so exciting about this thing anyway? Sure, she liked watching the guys play, cause they looked hot, but it still seemed pretty stupid to her.

Peyton, on the other hand, was quiet and didn't really open up to people. In that sense, she was Brooke's total opposite. While Brooke had a million friends, was always talking and asking for advice or chatting about anything. Peyton would be by herself, working on her drawings. Of course, she'd then go to Brooke and her friends and crack them up with what she liked to call 'her art'. She wasn't popular like Brooke, but she wasn't a geek either. It was weird when they became friends, no one thought they were anything alike, and maybe that's why they liked being around each other.

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Brooke was supposed to go to Peyton's house after school the next day. Both girls were outside of school, waiting for her mom to pick them up.

- That's weird, she's always here when the bell rings – Brooke noticed Peyton was a little nervous as she said that.

- Really? Well, she must've had something else to do. She'll be here in no time – Brooke nodded reassuringly.

About 20 minutes had gone by, and they were basically the only kids there now. Peyton was definitely nervous now, and Brooke was just saying a bunch of stupid stuff to take her mind off of it. Actually, Brooke thought Peyton was overreacting, that's what parents did, they were late, so she wasn't really worried and didn't understand where her friend was coming from. And then Peyton saw her dad coming, with a weird look on his face. Her heart sunk as she looked at him. He came closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders, but she instantly pulled away, next to Brooke.

- Dad… what's going on?

- We need to talk, baby.

- Where's mom? Why isn't she here?

- Look… your mom… she couldn't come – his eyes were full of tears as he saw the look on the little girl's eyes – let's go home and we'll talk ok?

- Brooke was supposed to come home with me – she was facing down now, and Brooke was quiet, just listening to them, afraid of what was gonna happen to Peyton's mom.

- I think it's better to take Brooke home, I'm sure she'll understand, right Brooke?

Brooke just nodded, quietly and looked at Peyton, not knowing what to say. She knew it was something really serious, and she was worried. So Brooke took Peyton's hand and walked with her to the car. No one said a word till they got to Brooke's home. Brooke hugged Peyton.

- Call me later if you wanna talk, ok? – and then she turned to Larry – Bye, Mr. Sawyer, thanks for the ride.

He smiled sadly and she went to her house. She saw her friend's car driving away. Larry and Peyton got home and she looked straight into her father's eyes. She looked angry and scared at the same time. She didn't know why she was angry at her dad, but she was.

- Dad… what happened to mom? – her voice was weak.

- Honey… there was a car accident. She's at the hospital – he lowered his head.

- What? But… she… she's gonna be okay, right? – she was already crying.

- Yeah honey… she will – he hugged his daughter tight, cursing himself for not telling her the truth. That her mother was not okay, and there was no way to know if she was gonna get out of this one. How could he tell his little girl that her mother could die?

- Can we see her?

- Yeah – he half smiled – but she's not awake right now, ok? I thought I'd stop by at home to get her some stuff she'll probably need when she wakes up. Do you wanna take a shower or rest a little.

The girl shook her head.

- I just wanna see mom.

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**_Should I go on with it? I always thought it'd be cute to think of them when they were kids. It'll be focused on Peyton and Brooke, specially the whole thing with Peyton's mom's dying, but I'll also mention the other characters. I'm still not sure how that's gonna be, I just liked the idea and started writing it today. Please review!_**


	2. Loss

**Disclaimer:** I gorgot the disclaimer thing on the first chapter, but either way, I own nothing! The title of the fic is a song by Alanis Morissette, I just thought it had something to do with it! I don't own the characters and if you think about it, not even the storyline, cause I'm trying to use all the information that was given on the show about how the whole thing happened. But of course the story's mine. Well, you got it!

Thank you so much for the reviews, I'm glad you liked the story so far, I got some pretty good ideas of how to include the other characters. I promise they'll be in the story soon. I hope you like this chapter. Please review!

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**Chapter 2 – Loss**

Peyton was lying on the hospital bed with her mom, who was still unconscious. She'd been there for the last two days, waiting for her mom to wake up. She was basically living at the hospital now. She just wanted to be with her mother. Her father had tried to get her home, or anywhere away from that hospital, but she wouldn't leave.

Larry talked to the doctors, and they weren't very hopeful. It was that same old story: she can wake up at any moment, but the longer it takes, the less probable it is that she wakes up. She was in bed shape, he'd never forget the look on Peyton's face when she saw her mom on the day of the accident. The woman had bruises all over her body. Now she looked a little better. But she had hit her head pretty bad, and the doctors said her brain signals were weak, although they were still standing. Thing is, they could collapse at any moment, just as she could wake up and be ok. It broke his heart to see his little girl crying herself to sleep at night, he wished there was something he could do.

Brooke was trying to talk to Peyton since the day of the accident, but no one would pick up the phone at her friend's house. She even went to the girl's house a couple of times, but no one was home.

The next day, Brooke was asleep in her room when she heard a knock on her bedroom's door, and a quiet sob. She opened her eyes and saw Peyton standing up by the doorway, her face red and puffy, she'd been crying non stop for hours. Brooke looked at her, not really knowing what to do. Peyton ran to Brooke and buried her head on the girl's pillow, while Brooke softly stroke her friend's hair. And then the sobbing girl looked up, ashamed.

- I'm sorry to come here, but I didn't want to be home and…

- It's ok. I'm glad you're here, I was worried. So… what happened?

- She's gone, Brooke – she cried hard, as if saying the actual words made it even more real – I promised I'd be better, promised I'd study more and I'd do everything she asked me to, why did she leave anyway?

- I'm sure she fought against it. She did stay with you for a couple of days, didn't she? She didn't want to leave, she just didn't have a choice.

- How do you know that? – her teary eyes met Brooke's, and Brooke smiled, still stroking her friend's hair.

- I know stuff – she answered, simply – I promise she loved you, and she wanted to stay. But she had to go.

- I miss her so much, Brooke. Who am I gonna talk to, who's gonna be here for me, who's gonna help me? How am I supposed to live without my mom?

- I will? Alright? You can talk to me and I'll always help you and be here for you when you need, ok?

- You promise? – Peyton's teary eyes looked at Brooke and she saw her friend looking at her confidently.

- I promise.

- Thank you, Brooke – Peyton hugged Brooke. She already felt a little safer now.

Brooke was still hugging the blonde girl, hoping she would calm down, when her mother yelled.

- Brooke! Dana's on the phone.

- Tell her I'll call her later! – Brooke yelled back, still not letting go of Peyton.

- She said you were supposed to be at her house by now – Brooke's mom came to her room a few seconds later, holding the phone.

- Alright! – she sighed and then turned to Peyton – I'll be right back – and then she picked up the phone and went to the hallway.

- Hey Dana… I'm sorry, I know we had plans, but I can't go right now… Look, it's just complicated, alright? – her voice getting angrier by the minute – I said I was sorry! You know what? I don't have time for this. We'll talk later – she yelled and hung up the phone, opening the door back to her room.

- Were you fighting with her? – Peyton asked, quietly.

- Don't worry about it. So… what do you wanna do now?

- Actually – she lowered her head – I should be going. Her… funeral is in a few hours, I have to get ready.

- I can go with you… I mean… if you want me to – her voice was low too.

- Really? Would you do that?

- Hey! I just promised I'd look out for you, didn't I? I wouldn't let you do this alone.

Peyton smiled. Brooke changed into a simple black dress, grabbed Peyton's hand and the girls got out of the house.

- It's so unfair. It's so beautiful out here today, it shouldn't be like this. She's _dead_, how can everything and everyone go on as if nothing happened?

- I know, honey, I know – Brooke didn't know what else to do to make Peyton feel better.

Soon they were at Peyton's house, her father rushed to the little girl, hugging her.

- Where did you go? I was so worried, don't ever do this to me again! – he was talking loud, but sweetly at the same time.

- I'm sorry, dad. I didn't want to be here. I'm so scared – she put her hands around her father's neck, holding tight.

- I'm scared too, baby. But we're gonna get through this. I'll make sure of that.

- Can Brooke come with us? – the little girl, still being held by her father, looked at him, he smiled and kissed her forehead.

- Of course she can come – he then looked at Brooke, smiling at her too – Now you need to get ready, ok baby? Can you do this now?

The girl nodded, kissed her father's cheek and went back to the floor. She and Brooke walked into the house. And as soon as they walked in, all those memories of her mom came rushing back to Peyton's mind. She could see her mom in the living room, looking and helping with her drawings, in the kitchen, teaching her how to make mac and cheese or up the stairs, tucking her into bed. And all that became too much for the little girl to handle. She ran out of the house, but couldn't make it too far. She was too weak to go anywhere, so she kneeled on her front yard and started sobbing so hard she could barely hear what was going on around her. Brooke stood before her friend, Peyton noticed someone was there and looked up.

- I can't do this, Brooke – she could barely find her voice – I just can't.

Brooke was now crying too. She wrapped her arms around the girl, rubbing her hands up and down her back.

- I know you're scared, but I'm here for you, ok? You can do this, you just have to be strong – she could barely say the words, she was also crying hard.

- Peyton – her father came and lifted the girl in his arms – let's just go, ok?

- But… but I need to get changed. Mom would like me to look pretty and…

- You're always pretty, little girl – he said, while brushing his daughter's hair away from her face – Your mother would agree with that. Let's just go, ok?

Peyton nodded and rested her head on Larry's shoulder. He reached his hand and Brooke took it, the three of them walked to the car, trying not to think of what was to come.


	3. Denial

**Chapter 3 – Denial**

The car parked outside the cemetery. Peyton was curled up beside Brooke. She had stopped crying, but hadn't said a word on the way there. No one had. She just looked outside the window, wishing somehow this was all just a bad dream, and she'd wake up and go to her parents' room, sleep between the two of them and be safe again. Her father's voice took her away from that daydream.

- Honey, you know you don't have to do this if you don't want to, right?

- I wanna say goodbye, dad – she couldn't bring herself to talk more than that, if she started crying again, she's never be able to stop.

They got there and Peyton was surprised with the amount of people from school who were there. The ones who were closest to her came and talked to the girl, some just stood at the back of the crowd. The ceremony didn't take long, Peyton managed not to cry, it was like she wasn't even there, like she wasn't living all this. Brooke stood by her side the whole time. By the time it was over, Peyton distanced herself from the crowd as people were paying Larry their respects. She sat under a tree nearby and looked at nowhere, wondering where her mother was at that moment, and if she could see her little girl. A while later, her father approached the girl.

- Ready to go home, sweetie?

Peyton shook her head.

- I don't wanna go home, dad. Please, don't make me go home today – she hugged her father.

- She… she can sleep in my house tonight, if she wants to – Brooke looked a little uncomfortable, her voice was weak.

- Dad, can I?

- Baby, I know you're hurting, trust me, I do. But we can't run, we're gonna have to face this.

- I will, but not today, dad, please?

- Alright – Larry sighed. Brooke and Peyton smiled softly.

They stopped by Peyton's house to get her stuff, the girls didn't even leave the car. Larry thought it'd be better if his daughter didn't go into the house that day. He brought Peyton's bag and they went to Brooke's,. Larry hugged his daughter, wishing she'd stay with him. He needed her right now, but he also needed to think of her, and put her before everything and everyone else. And, at this moment, the best thing for her would be staying away from all this.

- I love you, Peyton, more than anything.

- I love you too, dad.

And then he turned to the little girl beside his daughter.

- Thank you for being there for her, Brooke. You're a good friend.

Brooke smiled and nodded, and the girls went to Brooke's house. She grabbed some food at the kitchen and they went to the girl's room.

- So… chips? Cereal? – Brooke handed her friend some food, but she didn't take it.

She just sighed and fell on Brooke's bed, staring bluntly at the ceiling.

- Thanks, I'm not hungry, I'm just… tired.

- Alright. You get some sleep, but when you wake up, you're eating something. Please? I can make brownies!

Peyton tried her best to smile, and then nodded.

- But if your brownies suck, then I'm back to not eating anything.

Brooke opened her mouth in disbelief. And then she sat by the bed, beside a sleepy Peyton.

- You're comfortable? Need anything?

- Yeah… my mom – a single tear left her eye.

Brooke frowned. She did the best she could. She covered Peyton with the blankets, as if she was tucking her into bed, and said she's stay there till Peyton fell asleep. Peyton smiled at Brooke and came closer to her, resting her head on the girl's lap, while Brooke stroke her hair.

- Thank you, Brooke – she said, after a few minutes of silence, right before she fell asleep.

Brooke smiled and carefully placed her friend's head back on the pillow, and left the room silently. She'd learned how to make brownies a few weeks ago, with Dana's mother, but she'd never tried alone. So she did the best she could, and called her mother to help with the oven. Her mom lit it and went back to whatever she was doing. Brooke waited patiently till the brownies were ready and reached to take them out. Peyton had woken up by now, and was heading to the kitchen when she heard Brooke scream. She ran to her friend and saw her biting her lip, trying not to cry.

- Brooke! What happened?

- I burned my finger! – she pouted, showing Peyton her middle finger.

- Hey! Don't give me the finger! – both girls laughed – let me see that.

- It hurts, Peyton – she whined and started crying.

- Come on, we'll take care of that while those brownies cool down – she grabbed Brooke's hand and dragged her out of the kitchen – So… where do your parents keep the medicine?

The girl pointed to a cabinet and Peyton reached for it, finding a cream and putting it carefully on Brooke's finger, and waited for the girl to calm down.

- Feeling better? – Peyton smiled warmly, looking at a pouting Brooke, when the girl nodded – You're really something, you know? You were gonna take care of me and I'm the one medicating you – she laughed.

Brooke laughed too, still wiping a few tears from her eyes.

- I'm sorry.

- Come here – Peyton smiled and hugged her friend – Now, are we eating those brownies or what? Cause they're smelling really good!

Brooke immediately forgot about her finger and bounced hapilly back to the brownies, putting them on a plate and grabbed some juice from the refrigerator.They ate and talked about nothing in particular. It was late already, so the girls went back to Brooke's bedroom.

- We have school tomorrow – Brooke stated the obvious while changing into her pj's, waiting for a response from Peyton.

- Yeah… I didn't go to school for the last days.

- You wanna skip and go shopping? – Brooke jumped up and down, getting hyper, trying to cheer her friend up.

- What day is it tomorrow? Is it Tuesday?

- Yeah.

- Oh my god, they're having this huge sale, I could buy some cd's!

Brooke made a face.

- You mean more of those weird, creepy cd's I saw in your room? – Peyton just punched her on the arm.

- Come on – Brooke jumped to bed, Peyton soon joined her, and almost fell when Brooke hit her with a pillow, starting a pillow fight. But Peyton was too tired to take the fight very far, so she soon collapsed on bed.

- I win! – Brooke jumped in excitement a few more times, before sitting down next to Peyton. She waited for Peyton to lay down and pulled the covers to her. She remembered Peyton's mom did that, always tucked her into bed, when she was at the girl's place, and she wanted her friend to feel safe, even if her mom wasn't with her anymore. Peyton smiled when Brooke kissed her forehead.

- Good night.

- Good night, Brooke.


	4. Darkness

**Chapter 4 – Darkness**

The girls woke up early and rode their bikes to the mall. Peyton immediately ran to the music store and scanned through the cd's. Brooke noticed it wasn't gonna take less than an hour for her friend to leave the place, so she decided to focus on something more interesting: guys. The guy on the counter was pretty hot, and then she spotted another one, who was just finishing helping some woman find a cd. As soon as the woman left, she ran to him and asked about some random cd. He lead her to an aisle next to where Peyton was, when Brooke passed by her friend, she winked and pointed her head to the guy in front of her. Peyton laughed and rolled her eyes. As if the guy would even look at a 9 year old. An hour and a half later, they were both at the food court, having lunch. Peyton had bought a couple of cd's and Brooke had bought some make up Peyton knew no normal 9 year old would use. But then again, Brooke wasn't normal, she was just… Brooke. And that's what was keeping Peyton from falling apart right now. They finished lunch and Peyton decided it was time to go back home.

- You're sure you're ready for that? – Brooke asked in a concerned tone.

- No – Peyton sighed – But I'll never be ready, Brooke.

- Okay… but I'm going with you. I'll stay there, at least for a while, ok?

Brooke stood up and looked at Peyton. She then reached her hand to Peyton, to make her get up. They linked arms and walked out of the mall. When they got to Peyton's house, she stopped again, afraid to go in, just like the day before.

- Come on, Peyton, it's ok. You said it yourself, you have to do this. And I'm right, by your side, ok? – she held Peyton's hand and walked in front of the girl, leading her into the house.

Peyton walked in and, once again, all she could see was her mom. She missed her so much! She ran to her parent's room, Brooke following her, trying to keep up.

- Mom! Mom! – she was screaming, desperate to hear an answer – Mom, don't leave me, please!

She entered the room and saw it empty. And untouched. It seemed not even her father had been there. She buried her head on her mom's pillow, trying to smell her scent. It was still there, why couldn't her mother be there too? Brooke stood by the door. She wouldn't dare to go in, it was almost like she couldn't. It was this private moment between Peyton and her mom, it wasn't her place to intrude. She felt Larry's hand on her shoulder and looked up. He just moved his head, signaling for Brooke to follow him to the kitchen.

- You want anything to drink? Some juice? Water?

- No, thanks – Brooke answered, quietly, looking at the direction of the room Peyton was in from time to time.

- There's nothing you can do, Brooke. You've helped her more than I could till now, but she's gonna have to face it. And I wish I could bring her back, or make it easier on my little girl, somehow. But I can't. Unfortunately, no one can.

- I guess you're right – Brooke sighed, and then looked at Larry, after a while – Mr. Sawyer… Do you think it'd be ok if I stayed here for a while? I just wanna make sure she's ok.

Larry smiled. Of course she could stay. Brooke knew his daughter better than he did, and he didn't even know how to take care of her all by himself. Most of the time it was her mom who did this, he was always working. Of course, he was a good father, he spent time with her when he was home, he played with her and took her to the park, but it was her mom who was there, all day long, who tucked her into bed, who took her to school, who helped with her homework and taught her how to draw. Plus, he missed his wife so much, and he had to keep strong for his daughter. Sometimes he even felt he needed to be alone to deal with it. He felt like the most selfish person in the world, and he wouldn't leave his girl, of course he wouldn't.

Brooke smiled and got up. She went to Peyton's room and sat by her bed, waiting.

Larry went to his room, and saw Peyton there, on the same position she was in, sobbing. He got closer to her, sat by the bed and put his hand on her back. As soon as she saw him there, she got up and ran to her room, not saying a word. She couldn't handle this, any of it. She needed to be alone. But, as she slammed the door shut, she saw Brooke jump up and go to her direction.

- Did you talk to him? – Brooke asked.

- I don't wanna talk. There's nothing to talk about – she turned her stereo on, a loud angry rock music started playing.

She tried to say something but the sound was so loud it was impossible to hear anything. Peyton didn't even seem to notice how loud the music was. She was staring out the window, blankly.

- I think… I need to be alone for a while.

Brooke could only hear because she was closer to Peyton now. Her voice was weird. Different, distant. Almost mean.

- Are you sure?

- Brooke, just go! – she said, louder this time.

- Alright, well, if you need anything…

She just said that and left the room. When she got to the front door, she turned around, sighing, not really wanting to go. She hadn't left Peyton's side since the funeral, and now she was worried of what could happen.

Peyton stared at the window and saw her friend leaving the house. She didn't mean to talk to Brooke like that, Brooke was the only one by her side through this whole thing. But she was tired of being weak in front of everybody. She was tired of people seeing her cry. She took her drawings and looked at them. Happy, funny, colorful drawings. They didn't make sense anymore. That's not real life. The world isn't joyful, it isn't colorful. Her world right now was black and white, and right now she didn't think the colors would ever come back. She started drawing, she didn't even think, just took the paper, the pens and started drawing. She draw so furiously the paper was almost ripped in pieces. The black ink was wet with Peyton's tears. But they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of hate. She hated her mom for leaving. She hated her father for letting her mom go. She hated the doctors for not saving her. She hated herself for not walking home and wanting her mom to pick her up. And the more she hated, the more she drew. About 15 minutes later, she stopped. She didn't have the strength to do anything else. She looked at the piece of paper in shock. She'd never done something like that, she didn't know where that had come from. It was black and white, only the blood was bright red. Blood dripping from her pencil, from the picture frames, blood falling from her eyes as if they were tears. She looked at this drawing and felt relieved. She was being honest with herself for the first time in days. And then she collapsed onto bed and fell asleep.


	5. BFF

_So, first of all, thank you so much for the reviews, you have no idea how good it is to read them, and they make me wanna write more and better! Oh, and during this chapter I mention some cheerleading try-outs. Now, we don't even have cheerleading here in Brazil so I have no idea when do they start or if there are such things when the girls are nine, but I remember on the show they've been cheerleaders since... well... forever, so I thought it'd be interesting to add this to the story! I'm sorry if I'm writing some senseless stuff! lol! I hope you like the chapter!_

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**Chapter 5 - BFF**

Brooke got to school the next day and saw Dana by her locker.

- Hey – she was wondering how mad the girl was at her by now.

- Oh, so now you have time to talk to me? Why don't you go talk to your new best friend?

- Dana… her mom died two days ago. That's why I couldn't leave her.

Dana's mouth opened in shock, and then she made a sad face.

- I'm sorry, I didn't know that – she lowered her head – I don't really like the girl, but still…

- Why don't you like her anyway?

- She's a loser, she's always sitting by herself, and she acts like she's better than anyone else.

- You don't even know her, how can you say that?

- Come on, Brooke. If you wanna keep defending her and yelling at me, then I don't wanna be around you anymore. We always made fun of people like her, what's the matter with you? What's your problem?

- Maybe you are! Maybe I'm tired of acting like that.

- Alright, Brooke, call me when you snap out of the goody-goody thing, ok? – Dana slammed her locker shut and walked away.

Brooke couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She shook her head and turned her attention back to her locker. And then she saw Peyton in the hall. Only she was… different. Her clothes were dark, she was wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt of some band Brooke had never heard of before. People were looking but she didn't seem to care, it seemed she was in a daze. Until Brooke stepped in right in front of her. She was unsure of what her friend's reaction would be, so she kept a certain distance.

- Hey – Peyton said, lowering her head.

- Nice to see you back in school.

- Nice to see you wearing the make up we bought yesterday – Peyton touched Brooke's cheek, which was with a little bit of blush.

They both smiled, Brooke rolled her eyes and linked arms with the girl. Peyton wasn't mad at her. Always a good thing, considering she'd probably lost her best friend already. It was weird how she didn't really care about Dana right now. She was so mad at the girl! How could she say those things about Peyton? She didn't even know her! And Brooke felt this need to protect Peyton, specially now that her mother was gone. They went to class, of course Peyton was much quieter than usual. Right before class started, Brooke went to her friends, like she usually did while Peyton was drawing. But a few minutes later she noticed her friend wasn't drawing like she always did. So Brooke left her other friends and went back to Peyton. Peyton looked up, saw the girl standing in front of her and smiled.

- You came back early.

- Yeah, they didn't have any good gossip today.

Peyton knew she was lying, a simple look at the group of friends and anyone could see there was some serious gossip going on there.

- Thanks – she said, simply.

Peyton wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone else, anyone who came talking to her, specially about her mom, she'd just mumble anything and walk away. They could think she was being rude, or mean, or even ungrateful, she couldn't care less. No one knew, no one could possibly understand what she was going through right now. Brooke was the only one who realized that. She didn't try to understand, she didn't try to get Peyton to talk about it, she was simply there for her, acting the same way as always and basically keeping her from going crazy. Brooke was there. And Peyton knew that when she needed to talk, she'd still be there. During lunch, the two girls were going to the cafeteria when Brooke noticed a flyer. Cheerleading try-outs. She jumped excited and turned to Peyton.

- So? What do you say?

- What? Cheerleading? Brooke, that's _so_ not me!

- Exactly! Come on, it'll give you something to do, plus, you know we're gonna be way more popular than we already are! _And_ we get to see the guys playing all the time, that's the best part!

- Ok, first of all, I am _not_ popular. Second of all, I don't care about guys right now! You can go and try out, I'll… cheer for you!

- Come on, Peyton! Please! It's not gonna be fun if I do this alone. I'll go to your house and pick you up every time we have practice, you won't even have to worry about it!

Peyton rolled her eyes. She could already see Brooke waltzing into her room all the time with a cheerleader outfit and some pompoms, all bouncy and happy. But then again, it seemed to be a big deal for Brooke, and Brooke had helped her so much already… And it's not like she'd even become a cheerleader anyway, she didn't think she had what it takes. She sighed dramatically and threw her hands up.

- Fine, you win! Let's do this.

Brooke squealed excited and jumped to hug Peyton. Peyton laughed at Brooke's hyperness.

- Yay! Tomorrow, 5 o'clock then!

Brooke wanted to go to Peyton's after class, but she was afraid to ask, after her friend's little outburst the day before. And Peyton wanted Brooke to go with her, but didn't want to bother her with it again. She had, after all, spent the last two days with her. So, by the end of class, they each went to their respective houses. Peyton got to her house and, as usual, went straight to her room. Not much time later, her father knocked on the door.

- Hey sweetie.

- Hey dad.

- How was school? – he figured it was better not to talk about her mother right now.

- Not bad. Brooke and I are gonna try out for the cheerleading squad.

- Really? Wow, I never thought you'd want that – he smiled.

- Actually, it's more for Brooke than it is for me.

- I think it's great, honey. It'll help you take your minds off things.

- I guess… Will you go to the games if I really make it to the squad?

- Of course I will, baby.

- Thanks, dad – Peyton smiled.

Larry sat by his daughter's bed and looked at her.

- You know I'm always gonna be here for you, don't you, Peyton?

- I know, dad – she stood silent for a moment and then hugged him tight – I love you.

- Oh, I love you too. You're my little girl, and the most important thing in my life – he didn't want to let her go, he wanted to protect her from all the pain she was feeling. But now he felt they were going to be alright. He kissed her softly and left the room.

Peyton turned her stereo on, this time in a reasonable volume, and just laid down in bed. It was so hard being alone since her mom had died. It was like being alone left her helpless against the sadness and the bad thoughts. It was almost night time and Peyton had listened to all the sad songs she could possibly think of, and had made another drawing, pretty much like the one she'd made the night before, only this time it was on the wall beside the door. The night was the worst part. It was when her mom used to come into her room, they talked about Peyton's day at school, and finally her mom tucked her into bed. She just stood there on bed as tears started falling from her eyes. And suddenly someone started wiping her tears. She saw Brooke sitting on the bed, smiling softly at her friend. Peyton sat up and hugged Brooke, crying. Brooke rocked her back and forth, until she calmed down a little.

- I thought I'd come and see how you were doing. Your dad let me in. Of course, you could throw me out of the house again, but I decided to take my chances.

- I'm so glad you came. I missed you.

- Truth is, I missed you too, P. Sawyer.

Peyton pulled away to look at Brooke and raised an eyebrown.

- P. Sawyer?

- Yeah, I figured I could start calling you that. You know how the players have their last names on their jersey? Well, we're gonna be cheering for them so… you're P. Sawyer now!

- You've got way too much free time… B. Davis – Peyton rolled her eyes and laughed.

- See? It's cute!

- Sure it is. Look, I'm sorry about yesterday, I was just…

- Hey! You have all the right to snap out at people right now, so just forget about it, ok? You wouldn't get rid of me that easily anyway.

- I won't snap at you anymore, I promise.

- Always good to know – Brooke smiled.

Peyton was now laying her head on Brooke's lap. Brooke looked at the drawing on the girl's wall and sighed. She was starting to think her friend would never be the same again. Those funny drawings that made everyone laugh in class… now they were dark and even angry. And there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing more than she was already doing.

- You're ready to go to bed? Your dad said I could stay here tonight if I wanted to. But if you wanna be alone, I can go.

- No! I don't want you to go – Peyton snuggled closer to her friend, Brooke put her arms around Peyton, as the girl started to cry softly – Brooke… can you promise me something?

- Sure, anything.

- Promise you'll never leave me, like my mom did?

Brooke smiled, still hugging her friend.

- I promise. I'm never gonna leave you. Look, we're gonna go to high school together, and then we're gonna go to college, and our kids will be best friends. Just like us. Best friends… forever.

- Really? I'm your best friend? – Peyton's teary eyes turned to Brooke.

- Am I yours?

- Of course you are! No one ever came into my house this late just to make sure I was ok.

- So it's settled! Best friends forever?

- Best friends forever – Peyton hugged Brooke with all her strength.

- Good then. You'll be okay, P. Sawyer. You'll be okay…

She pulled away from Peyton smiling and pulled the blankets so the girl would lay down.

- Time to bed.

Peyton smiled, still with a few tears, and laid down. Brooke covered her carefully, making sure she wouldn't be cold, and then laid down herself, facing Peyton.

- I'll be here for as long as you need me, ok?

- Then you'll stay here forever.

They both smiled, and after a while they fell asleep.


	6. Victory

AN: I finally wrote a new chapter! I'm really sorry it took me so long to update, I'm going through a huge creativity crisis! But I guess it's getting better now! I hope you like this chapter, I'm already working on the new one, so hopefuly it won't take this long to update again! Thank you so much for all the reviews! Oh, and I was listening to some Peyton podcasts and she says her mom died when she was 8, not 9. But I guess it's too late to change it now, so I'll just carry on with it!

**Chapter 6 - Victory**

Larry woke the girls up to school the next day. He was glad to know Peyton seemed a little better. They went to school and Peyton noticed Brooke didn't leave her side the whole time. And whenever they didn't have classes together, she'd meet Peyton right after it. She was so worried about her friend, Peyton even felt annoyed sometimes, but she knew Brooke only wanted to be there for her. Plus, she was getting used to it. Brooke was all excited, her birthday would be in two days and her parents had promised her this big party for all of her friends. She had told everyone she knew already, and the day before, while they were talking before going to sleep, she convinced Peyton to spend the whole day at her place to help setting up for the party and choosing clothes and all. The girls hang out after class, and finally it was time for the cheerleading try-outs. Peyton still tried her best to convince Brooke not to drag her along in it, but there was no way. Brooke was so happy she couldn't stop bouncing all over the place. They got to the gym and saw Anne and Lizzie. They were the captains of the squad, and it was their last year in that school, so they were looking for two new cheerleaders to replace themselves. There were like 7 other girls trying out. There was no doubt Brooke was the best one, and Peyton was pretty good too. Even Brooke was surprised, she had no idea Peyton could do this so well. And right after their try-outs, there were gonna be the ones for the boys to play basketball on the junior league. Of course Brooke refused to leave the place. Peyton rolled her eyes and laughed, sitting on the benches with her friend to watch the boys. There were some cute ones, but Brooke immediately noticed one in particular: Nathan Scott.

- Oh my god, he's HOT!

Peyton wasn't really paying attention to anything till Brooke pointed Nathan.

- Brooke, could you stop with the… - and then she saw him – wow! He _is_ hot!

- Ha! I knew you were gonna agree with me eventually! – Brooke smiled triumphantly – See? I told you this cheerleading thing was gonna be great!

- You know what? Maybe you're right!

- Of course I am, I'm always right, remember?

Peyton laughed and they kept watching the boys. Nathan seemed to be picking on this skinny blonde boy the girls had never seen before. They noticed Haley James was also watching them. Oh right! He was the guy she was always hanging out with, Lucas… something. He wasn't bad to look at, but he was just too… geeky for their taste.

An hour later they were both walking around the school, waiting for the girls to announce which cheerleaders were gonna be picked. Anne walked out of one of the classes and looked straight at Peyton and Brooke.

- Hey, if it isn't our two new cheerleaders!

- What? – Brooke asked, in shock.

- Brooke and Peyton, right? Congratulations! – she smiled and handed them the list with their names before putting it on the board.

- I can't believe it, that's so cool! – Brooke jumped excited, her voice sounding squeaky and high from the happiness.

Peyton was jumping too, hugging Brooke. Anne smiled and walked back inside the school. Peyton was waiting for her father to pick her up. Brooke waited with her, since she was going with the bus anyway. Peyton seemed so happy about this, and Brooke was really glad to see her like that. Larry's car pulled right in front of them.

- Daddy, daddy! We made it into the squad! Isn't it great? – Peyton ran to hug her father.

- Wow! That's amazing, sweetie! You know what? I think we should go eat some ice cream and celebrate it! You, me and Brooke!

- Really? – she turned to Brooke – What do you say, do you wanna come?

- Are you kidding? I wouldn't say no to ice cream even if we had made complete fools of ourselves there! – her face brightened when Larry invited her too. After all, it's not like her father would ever care enough to celebrate something like that.

Larry smiled and the girls got into the car. The day was good so far, at least his daughter was smiling again. So he decided they were gonna get all the ice cream they wanted for the day. And so it was. First they ordered a chocolate sundae, then vanilla milkshakes, banana splits and another sundae! Oh my god, how could those two little girls eat that much?

- Anything else, ladies? – he asked, laughing – I'm starting to get worried, you barely ate anything.

- Well, since your dad's worried, I think we should get at least a cone ice cream! – Brooke giggled, and them both burst into laughing when they saw the look on Larry's face.

- You're not serious, are you? Cause if you are, then you're really starting to scare me, Brooke!

- You better not be, cause even I can't take anymore ice cream by now – Peyton stated, faking a concerned expression.

- Great, we should get going then.

- You know, my house's not far, I'll just go walking – Brooke couldn't wait to get home and go shopping with her mom for a big birthday present.

- You're sure? You don't wanna go with us and stay for a while? – Peyton asked quietly, a little sad.

- I'd like to, but my mom… - she'd been waiting for that for a while, but she noticed Peyton's sadness – you know what? My mom's probably not even home right now. Is it okay if I go with you, Mr. Sawyer?

- Sure – he actually felt relieved when Brooke was around, she was the only person who seemed to be able to get Peyton to smile, or at least talk about what she was feeling.

They got home and Brooke called her house. She asked her mom if it was ok to go shopping the next day, and from the answer she got, her mom probably didn't even remember they were supposed to buy the girl's present today. She put the phone back on the receiver and burst into Peyton room. Peyton was getting used to it by now.

- P. Sawyer! We need to start practicing! We need a routine, and the outfits, and… oh! The pompoms! – she talked while bouncing around the room.

- I'm pretty sure we'll get all of this at the actual practice, which starts in three days, remember?

- And what are we supposed to do till then?

- Oh, I don't know… live our lives the way we always did?

- Did I mention how annoying your sarcastic self is? – she threw a pillow at Peyton.

- And I know I _did_ mention how annoyingly happy you can be sometimes – Peyton answered, joking. It was actually good to be friends with someone like Brooke, totally different from her.

Brooke opened her mouth in shock.

- You know I'm only letting that one go cause you're my best friend – she grinned.

- Oh, aren't you just a saint? – Peyton stopped and looked at Brooke, laughing – Sorry, I'm doing the sarcastic thing again, aren't I?

- It's part of your charm, Goldilocks. I guess I'll just have to learn to deal with it – Brooke looked outside the window – it's getting late… I guess I should go home now.

- Oh… ok.

- Will you be ok, Peyton?

- Yeah, I will – Peyton smiled, even though she wasn't sure of it – I'll see you tomorrow at school?

- Sure… buh bye then!

Brooke left and walked quickly back home. She got there really happy, and went quickly to her mom in the living room.

- Mom, mom, guess what? I made it!

- You made what, Brooke? – she asked dismissively, she was on the phone and not very happy to be bothered.

- I told you last week I was trying out for cheerleading! And I made it! So Peyton's dad, Larry, took us for some ice cream, you know, to celebrate! We could order some pizza and celebrate here too!

- Peyton? Who's Peyton?

- Peyton, my best friend, mom!

- Wasn't Linda your best friend?

- No! Linda was my best friend like 2 years ago! Then it was Dana, but she was acting like an idiot, so now it's Peyton. I told you about her all day yesterday.

- Oh yeah, Peyton, of course. Look, honey, I have something really important to discuss right now, ok?

She said that, pointing the phone, and walked away. But Brooke followed her.

- Is it my birthday?

- What? Your… oh yeah, your birthday… no, it's not. But we'll talk about it later. Now I really need to take this call.

And then she left, leaving the little girl standing by the living room, looking sadly at her. She should be used to it by now, she didn't know why, but she thought some day it was gonna change. And maybe, just maybe, today would be the day. Well, not this time. A single tear fell from Brooke's eyes, but she soon wiped it away. She didn't cry. Never. What was the point? Things wouldn't suddenly get better just because she was crying. And it meant she was weak. Brooke wasn't weak, or vulnerable, and she sure didn't want people to think that. So she went to her room, passing by her dad on the way and waving at him. He didn't even see her, or if he did, he didn't make a point in showing it. At night, Brooke and Peyton were in their respective rooms, lying in bed and just staring at the ceiling, trying not to think of anything. They both felt alone, even though they didn't really want to admit it. But all it took was for them to replay the whole day in her heads, and suddenly the both of them smiled, knowing they weren't really as lonely as they thought.


	7. Hope

_Hey you guys... Once again, sorry I haven't been updating as much as I wanted to. But I finally have some free time now so I guess I'll be able to write more of both my stories. You'll probably see more chapters of them. I had some reviews of people asking me when I'm gonna start writing this story on the present time, with the characters as teenagers. Actually, I still have a lot of stuff planned for them as kids. Thing is, I like writing them as kids here, and as teenagers on my other story 'Kill the Pain'. But if you want to, I'm open to new ideas of how I can fast forward the story and possible story lines for it later on. I really hope to read your opinions and ideas about it. And I hope you like this chapter!_

**Chapter 7 - Hope**

Brooke opened her eyes that day and immediately jumped out of bed.

- It's my birthday, it's my birthday! – she giggled to herself.

The girl got dressed and went to school. Her parents said they had an important meeting early in the morning, so she didn't even see them. When she got to school, everyone already knew what day it was. The first person that came to talk to her was Lizzie, one of the captains of the squad.

- Hey, Brooke! – she rushed to the younger girl with a package in her hands – I hear it's your birthday. So… here! For you! I thought you'd like to have it as soon as possible.

Brooke took the package and before Lizzie could blink, it was already ripped to pieces, and Brooke was staring, amazed, at the present: her brand new cheerleader outfit.

- Oh my god, I love it! It's so perfect and gorgeous and… I'm gonna look _great_ in this! – she kept talking, more to herself than anybody else.

- I'm glad you liked it. Happy birthday! We'll see you tomorrow then?

The girl nodded her head. She wouldn't stop staring at her new outfit, and didn't even notice when Lizzie went inside the school and Peyton approached her quietly, covering Brooke's eyes with her hands.

- Guess who, B. Davis?

Brooke smiled and jumped around. Peyton hugged her and gave her an envelope. It was a drawing of the two of them cheering for the basketball team, but instead of the name of the team, it was written 'Happy B. Day, B. Davis'. And it was colorful.

- B. Day, B. Davis, I loved it! Hey! Your drawings are not black and white anymore!

- Just this one. I thought you deserved something a little brighter. And sorry, but I still couldn't find out what to get you. I promise you'll get a decent present by next week.

- I love it, Peyton, I really do. I'll keep it right by my bed so you'll always be close!

They linked arms and walked to class together. Some people Brooke never met before wished her a happy birthday. She was used to being popular, but it was still weird. They probably just wanted to get invited to her party or something. Peyton had already talked to her dad, and he knew she'd go straight to Brooke's after school, to help her before the party started. So after classes were over, the two girls took the bus. Brooke entered her house, soon followed by Peyton, and the first thing she saw was an envelope. She grabbed it quickly, anxious to see what was inside. Maybe a big surprise for her birthday. There was a hand-written note inside.

_Brooke,_

_I had to go grocery shopping, should be back soon. There's some pizza on the fridge if you're hungry._

_Lindsay._

Brooke kept staring blankly at the small piece of paper. Why was Lindsay in the house? Why had their parents called the sitter? Did they forget it was her birthday? Everything was supposed to be ready, there was supposed to be food all around, chips, soda, music. But now that she read the note, she realized the house was the same way as always. Nothing different.

- Brooke? What does it say, are you okay? – Peyton spoke softly, putting her hand on Brooke's shoulder.

- What? – Brooke looked at Peyton, a little startled – Yeah… I just… I guess there's been a change of plans.

At this moment, the door opened and Lindsay walked in with a bag of groceries.

- Hey Brooke. Sorry I had to go buy some stuff. Did I leave you alone for too long?

- No… it's ok, we just got here. Lindsay… where are my parents?

- They called me a couple of hours ago, saying they were still in New York and that they had decided to stay there for the weekend. Didn't they tell you? – the girl looked at Brooke, a little confused.

- Not really. They said they were gonna be here today – Brooke looked down, and then, without saying another word, walked fast to her room.

Peyton didn't really know what to say. How could Brooke's parents go away on her birthday? And don't even care to let her know they weren't gonna be there? Was it the way they always acted? She had never really been around Brooke's parents, most of the time the girl was alone in her house, or if they were home, they were too busy to even knowledge their daughter was there too, let alone with a friend. So Peyton went to Brooke's room and opened the door carefully. What she didn't expect to see was her friend lying in bed, crying softly, as if she didn't want anyone to hear.

- Brooke?

When her friend didn't respond, Peyton carefully walked till the other side of the bed and kneeled so that she could face Brooke. Brooke didn't say anything, just wiped a few tears and smiled sadly.

- I actually thought this time they weren't gonna lie, they wouldn't let me down.

- You mean… they always do this?

- They'd never promised me a birthday party before, so I thought that meant they were changing. I should've known, huh? Oh my god, I invited like a thousand people, what am I gonna do when they start showing?

- When are they supposed to show?

- In like 15 minutes.

- Alright then, don't worry, it's gonna be ok.

Brooke raised her eyebrow and looked at the girl in front of her.

- You're not being all sarcastic again, are you? Cause you know, that's really not the time…

- Brooke! Just… trust me. I'll be right back.

She just said that and walked out of the room, looking for Lindsay.

- Hey… Lindsay, right? – Peyton asked, just to let the girl know she was there – Can I talk to you for a second?

- Yeah… sure. I was just gonna check on Brooke, she seemed pretty upset when she left to her room.

- Don't worry, I talked to her.

- Sorry, what's your name again?

- Oh, Peyton. Sorry, she was upset and didn't even introduce us. Now look, there are some people coming to the house in a few minutes, and I really need your help with something.

- Oh no, you don't wanna wreck the house while her parents are away, do you? Cause if I let her do that, then they'll never call me again and they might not even pay me for the weekend, and I could really use the money… – Lindsay started babbling but Peyton cut her off.

- It's not that… actually it's the exact opposite. I need you to tell them something. When people start showing, can you tell them Brooke got this last minute surprise gift and went to New York with her parents for the weekend?

- Peyton… what's going on?

- Well, she's feeling pretty bad cause her parents promised her a birthday party and they left without even saying goodbye, so I thought… maybe…

- Wait! Today's her birthday? They didn't even say anything.

- You didn't know?

Brooke had left her room to go to the bathroom and stopped by the door when she heard Peyton talking to Lindsay. She couldn't believe her parents didn't even tell Lindsay it was their daughter's birthday. But then again, they probably didn't even remember it anymore. Or maybe they did, but didn't think their daughter turning 10 years old was such a big deal. Definitely not something that required a party, or even their presence. After all, she'd been without them for so long, she would be fine. Yeah… right! Peyton told Lindsay about the party they had promised, and the way they let Brooke down, and as Brooke heard it, her eyes filled with tears, but at the same time she was smiling, cause at least this year things were a little better. Cause she wouldn't have to pretend everything was fine and she was the one who didn't want to spend her birthday with her parents. Peyton knew the truth, and was willing to be there for her like no one had ever been.

- I can't believe they did that! No wonder she was so sad when she went to her room… - Lindsay said, after Peyton told her what'd been going on.

And then Peyton said she was thinking of taking Brooke to the mall while the sitter waited for people to come to tell them what they had decided. They both agreed it was a good idea. At first, Lindsay was a little unsure about the girls going to the mall by themselves, but then Peyton told her they went once or twice and her parents never really bothered her with it, so it was settled. Peyton turned to go back to Brooke, when Lindsay stopped her.

- Peyton… here – she handed Peyton some money, about 50 dollars – why don't you go and she can choose a nice birthday present? It's not a lot of money like I'm sure her parents give her, but it's what I've got. She deserves it.

Peyton smiled, and before she could say anything, Brooke came and hugged Lindsay. No one even knew she'd been listening, and they were surprised. Brooke wasn't one to show her emotions like that, let alone hug someone who's basically a stranger. "But oh well… she's a stranger who's already done more to me than my parents have ever done", Brooke thought.

- Thanks – it wasn't the same 'thanks' she used to say to her parents when they gave her money. This one meant a lot more, cause she knew the girl in front of her really cared, she wasn't just trying to buy her with that money. And she knew it meant a lot, cause she'd just told Peyton she could use the money.

Lindsay hugged her back, smiling and then pulling away and kneeling, so she was face to face with the little girl in front of her.

- Happy birthday, Brooke. I'm sorry, I didn't even know – she said, while putting Brooke's hair behind her ear so she could see her face better.

- It's ok – Brooke shrugged – It's already better than last year.

- Now come on, you girls should be going before everyone comes.

Lindsay opened the door and hugged them again before they took their bikes and headed to the mall.

- So… where do you wanna go first? We should buy you a present with the money Lindsay gave us! – Peyton was trying her best to keep Brooke from thinking about what had happened or anything else that might make her sad.

- Sure! Oh, and I was thinking of saving some of the money to buy her something. I was thinking of this really cute shirt I saw here the other day, I think she'd like it. And there were all these clothes I'm sure _I'd_ like, so let's go! – Peyton didn't even have time to answer, when she realized it, Brooke had already dragged her inside the store.

They got out of there with a jacket Brooke absolutely fell in love with, and the shirt for Lindsay. Then they stopped by the food court and had a snack. A couple of hours later, they were walking by the mall when Peyton suddenly pulled Brooke to one side and signed for her to shush.

- What? What's going on?

- Nathan's here! – Peyton pointed the guy.

- Wow, I can't believe it? Cute basketball player? Let's go say hi!

Brooke started walking to Nathan and his friends when Peyton grabbed her arm and pulled her back, whispering.

- No Brooke! Don't you remember you're supposed to be in New York right now? That's why your party didn't happen!

- Oh! Yeah… I almost forgot for a second there… so, well, we already bought stuff, we already ate, let's go back home!

The two girls quietly passed through the stores, avoiding getting close to the guys, and got out of the mall, going back to Brooke's house. Lindsay opened the door with a smile when she saw them.

- So… how was the mall?

- Great! Look what I got! – Brooke jumped around, excited, showing her the jacket.

- Wow, that's really cute. How about this other bag? What do you have there?

- Oh… this one… it's for you! – she handed the bag to her sitter – after all, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even have this lovely piece of clothing! – she pointed her jacket once again, that she was now wearing.

Lindsay opened it and she even got teary when she saw the shirt. It was totally her style, she loved it. But what she loved even more was that the girls could have spent that money on anything, and they chose to buy her something.

- Thanks, girls, I love it. I really do! Actually, I'll go to the bathroom and put it on right now, to see how it looks on me!

A few minutes ago, she got out of the bathroom, pretending to be a model, wearing her present. Brooke and Peyton clapped her hands, excitedly. They got talking and watching TV for a while, when they heard a car outside. It was Peyton's father.

- Mr. Sawyer? What are you doing here? – Brooke asked, a little surprised when she got outside and saw him.

- Well… I know it's someone's birthday today and apparently some plans didn't work out, so I thought maybe you wanted to go to dinner with me and Peyton to celebrate it!

- What? How did you know the plans had… changed?

- A little bird told me and asked me if there was something I could do about it.

Brooke immediately turned her head to Peyton, who was smiling at her. She ran to her friend and hugged her.

- I have the best best friend ever!


	8. Safety

_Next chapter's up! Personally I don't really like it that much, I'll be the first to admit I'm totally out of ideas. Actually I have some ideas, but before I write them, I wanted to show the girls' first day as cheerleaders. So next chapter will probably be a little different. Thank you so much to everyone who didn't give up on the story. And as usual, if you have any thoughts or ideas, please let me know!_

**Chapter 8 - Safety**

After their dinner the day before, Brooke went back to Peyton's. Larry had some things to take care of, so he told the girls he'd be working on the computer if they needed him. They went to Peyton's room. Brooke was starting to think of her friend's room as her own, she felt more at home there than at her own place. Brooke lied in bed, tired, as Peyton sat beside her.

- Liked your birthday?

- Are you kidding? It was the best! You saved my day, you know?

- Well, you saved a lot of my last days too.

- So… cheerleading starts soon – Brooke was starting to get excited again, almost forgetting how tired she was.

- Yup, couple of days – Peyton's thoughts seemed to be a little far from there. And after a few moments of silence, she spoke, almost silently – My mom used to be a cheerleader, did you know?

- Really? I didn't know, I mean, if you think it'll be too hard to do this, that maybe you'll think about her too much and be sad, then…

- No… actually, I wanted to thank you for making me go to the try-outs. I think my mom would've liked that.

- She'd be proud of you.

- You know if she were here right now, she'd be thanking you for taking care of me.

- Well, you're welcome Mrs. Sawyer. But just so you know, it's not any trouble or anything, cause your daughter's pretty cool – Brooke looked at the ceiling, as if she were looking at the sky, and talked, making Peyton smile and then roll her eyes, lying next to Brooke.

- You think she actually listens? Or sees us? – Peyton asked, breaking the comfortable silence between them.

- I know she does. She'll always take care of you, Peyton, no matter where she is, she's your mom, and she always will be. This doesn't die.

Peyton didn't say anything, just got up and went to her dresser, looking for something. A few minutes later she turned to Brooke once again with a little silver bracelet with a small angel pendant.

- My mom said once that I would never be alone. It was right after her mom died, my grandma, and I was scared I'd lose her too. She said that if one day she couldn't be with me, she'd find a way to send an angel to my life, to protect me. That day we went to the mall and I saw this bracelet, and I asked her to buy it for me. I've been using it since then. I took it off right after the funeral. Cause I was mad at her for leaving and I thought I was all alone. But I'm not anymore, am I?

- So you're gonna start wearing it again? – Brooke said, sitting up and facing Peyton, who had a few tears in her eyes.

- Actually, it's yours… happy birthday – Peyton approaches Brooke and places the bracelet around her friend's wrist.

Brooke looked confused, looking from Peyton to the bracelet she was now wearing.

- What? Are you giving it to me? You can't… it's yours, it's your guardian angel.

- It's you – Peyton stated simply.

Brooke didn't know what to say. She hugged Peyton so hard the girl started gasping for air.

- Brooke… air… can't… breathe! – she faked it, causing Brooke to let go and put her tongue out to Peyton.

- I loved it. I'll wear it all the time.

She then took off another bracelet she was wearing, a much bigger and fancier one. Noticing Peyton's curious look, she explained.

- My mom gave it to me once. It doesn't really mean anything. She just wanted me to stop talking all the time so she gave me something to distract me. Plus, I like yours better.

Brooke had a sad tone in her voice, but smiled looking at her birthday present.

The weekend went by fast, Brooke going to Peyton's to check on her every once in a while. She always ended up staying there for hours. On Monday morning, right before school, Brooke barged into Peyton's room with her cheerleader outfit and some weird pompoms.

- Rise and shine, Goldilocks!

- Oh my god, Brooke, what time is it?

- We have like half an hour to get you ready and go to school!

- You know, I really enjoy the whole invading my room thing, but you could knock sometimes, you know? And what on Earth are those creepy pompoms?

- Oh! – Brooke let out a little giggle – I made them! Just to come and get you up and cheery to go to school.

- Hopefully the real ones will be actually pretty.

Brooke didn't answer, just gave Peyton a fake smile and jumped on her bed.

- Come on, get up, let's go!

- Oh, I swear to god, I'm gonna get those pompoms and shove them on your mouth to get you to stay quiet for two seconds! – Peyton said, grumpy and still sleepy, while her friend kept yelling happily. She had no choice but to get up – Alright! Happy now? I'll just go get changed and we'll go.

Larry took the girls to school, Brooke didn't stop babbling the whole way, and through each and every class, till it was time for cheerleading practice, which was at the same time as the guys' basketball practice. If Brooke was bouncy before, after she found that out she was so excited Peyton almost took the pompoms and actually put them into her mouth. The other girls were really nice to them, so they soon fit in. They practiced, Brooke always keeping an eye on Nathan. Peyton soon saw him there and started looking too, making Brooke shoot her an "I told you you were gonna like this" look. After practice Brooke went to talk to the other cheerleaders, the guys went to the lockers, Peyton was a little away from the other ones, she couldn't help but look at her own outfit and think of her mom. Suddenly she saw someone by her side. It was Haley James. She looked at the girl not really knowing what to say, they'd never really talked before, they just had a lot of classes together.

- Hey… - Peyton said, her mind still far.

- I saw you were sitting here, too quiet. Everything ok?

What could she answer to that? Specially to someone she barely knew. She was just gonna say everything was alright, as usual, but she could see in the girl's eyes she really cared, she wasn't just asking.

- I'm sorry about your mom.

Peyton was a little taken aback, and looked at the girl beside her.

- Thanks… I was just… thinking about her a little. So… what are you doing here? Thinking about becoming a cheerleader? – Peyton joked.

- Yeah, right, like I would ever be one – Haley chuckled – I'm a total clutz!

At that moment Lucas comes back from the locker room and starts walking towards Haley.

- Actually, I just came to talk to Lucas. So I should go… - Haley said not really knowing what else to say, and starting to walk away.

- Yeah… - Peyton walked to the cheerleaders' direction, when she heard Haley calling her, and turned around.

- Peyton… It'll get better, you'll see.

- I know – she smiled and went to talk to the other girls, while Haley and Lucas got out of the gym.

- Were you talking to the skinny guy's friend? – Brooke gave Peyton this weird look like she was committing social suicide or something.

- Yeah… she's nice – Peyton answered simply.

- Isn't she a little… geeky? She better not steal my best friend from me or something. Now come on – Brooke put an arm around her friend's shoulders, leaving the gym too and talking non stop.

Peyton rolled her eyes once again and left with Brooke.

- Of course she won't. Come on Brooke, you're 10, I thought you were an adult now.

- Ha ha ha, I already told you to stop with the sarcastic thing, didn't I?

- Not today, you haven't – Peyton said, grinning.

- You know you're really funny?

- Come on, B. Davis, you know you love me.

Brooke pushed her away, both of them laughing, and they walked to the front of the school, waiting for Larry to pick them up.


	9. Time

**Chapter 9 - Time**

Rick steals the ball from the other team. He passes to Eric, who passes to Nathan, who scores once again. Right in front of him, the cheerleaders happily celebrate two more points. The game's about to end, and Brooke looks at her friend. Peyton's barely talking to her these last days, and she keeps trying to remember something wrong she might've done. Sure, she still hadn't tried to talk to her, but she would as soon as she could. Larry was watching the game, as he had promised his daughter almost a year ago. The year hadn't been easy for him and his daughter, but he was glad to know she never missed a game, and although her grades had slipped a little, she was doing her best and, considering everything that had happened, she was doing better than he expected. Turns out his little girl was stronger than he thought. As the game ended, Brooke turned to talk to Peyton, but she wasn't even there anymore, she'd gone so fast Brooke didn't see her leaving. Larry walked outside and his daughter was already in the car, ready to go home. He knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better, so he just smiled softly and drove home. The next day was gonna be a hard one.

Larry went to Peyton's room in the morning and couldn't find her there. He figured she'd be in the kitchen, sometimes she woke up earlier and surprised him with breakfast, but he didn't expect that today. And, in fact, she wasn't there. He started worrying when the girl was nowhere to be found. Her backpack was still in her room, and her bicycle wasn't in the garage. He took the car. He had a guess where she could be, but he was hoping he was wrong. It wasn't the time. She had never gone back there all this time, but then again, one day it would have to happen. He parked the car and walked around, soon finding the place he was looking for. And, just as he thought, there was his little girl. He rushed to her, she was lied down on the grass, curled up right in front of her mother's tombstone. When he got there, she had her eyes closed. He kneeled and gently touched her shoulders, scaring her.

- Dad! – her eyes were red and she still had a lot of tears in her eyes.

- Hey honey – he said, and she threw herself in his arms.

- I wanted to be here with her today – the girl was now sobbing.

- It's ok. I bet she's happy you came. But you could've told me, I would've brought you. I was worried when I didn't find you.

- Sorry, dad. I just woke up and I missed her so much… - she wrapped her arms around Larry's neck and he got up, holding Peyton, both of them looking blankly at Anna's grave.

- Did you talk to her? – Larry asked.

- No… she doesn't listen anymore. Maybe she never did.

- What are you talking about? Of course she listens. Why do you say that, Peyton?

- Never mind, dad. Can we just go home?

- Sure… come on – he grabbed her bicycle and put it in the car, then hugged Peyton again – You wanna stay home today?

She shook her head.

- It's ok. I think it's gonna be worse if I stay home. I should just go to school.

They got home, Peyton ate something and quickly grabbed her backpack, hugged Larry tight and headed to the door. She stopped and looked back at him.

- I love you, dad.

- I love you too, baby.

They both smiled and Peyton left. Larry sighed and went back to the kitchen, sat by the table and stared at the bills. If staring could solve his money problems, then he'd be ok right now, cause that's all he could seem to do. He'd stopped working since his wife died, he didn't want to leave Peyton with a baby sitter, he felt she still needed him, now more than even. Whenever she asked, he'd just say he's been working in Tree Hill, and for a while he wouldn't have to leave. He was doing some work, but he'd never stay in the boat overnight. He wanted to make sure Peyton wouldn't be alone. And now things were getting really bad. If he didn't start working again, like before, in a few months, soon they were gonna be in trouble.

Peyton got to school and soon saw Brooke talking to a group of friends. Brooke hadn't seen her yet, so she turned to the other side and went quickly into the classroom, she was running late anyway. But before she went, Brooke spotted her. Seeing how Peyton was almost running, she probably still didn't want to see Brooke, so she sighed and walked to another classroom. And that happened all day long. Till it was time for cheerleading practice. Brooke got to the gym a little late, and was surprised when she didn't see Peyton there.

Peyton got to the gym, stopped by the door and looked at the girls. They were all happy, talking. Everyone except for Brooke. She was sitting, quiet, and Peyton felt really bad cause she knew her friend was worried. But she couldn't talk right now. She didn't feel like seeing anybody, but at the same time she didn't want to stay home. She went to one of the empty classrooms and leaned against the wall, slowly sitting down on the floor, crying.

Haley was walking out of the school to meet Lucas.

- Hey!

- Hey there Hales… you wanna go to the Rivercourt? Me and the guys are playing in a while.

Haley rolls her eyes.

- Luke, you guys play every single day, it's not like it's big news.

- I know… you're still going, right? – he smiled.

- Sure! So… do you miss playing on the team? In school? – Haley was careful when that was the subject, but she just wanted to make sure her best friend was really ok.

- Hales I told you already. I'm good. I just don't wanna have to deal with… you know, everything. I got enough teasing for a lifetime. So… should we go?

- Yeah… oh! Forgot my jacket, I'll be back in a second, alright? Wait for me.

Lucas nodded as Haley went back inside the school. The girl opened the classroom door and went to grab her jacket. She gasped and was taken by surprise when she saw Peyton by the wall, crying.

- Peyton?

- Go away – she didn't even lift her head up, she didn't want to talk.

- Are you alright? You want me to call anyone, or…

- I just wanna be alone, ok? – she then looked up and saw Haley – Thanks… but I'm alright, could you please go?

- Yeah… - Haley whispered, got her jacket and then left. But she didn't want to leave Peyton there alone. So she went to the gym and saw the cheerleaders practicing. The little girl walked in and all the attention was turned to her, which she hated. She almost turned and went away.

- What are you doing here? Your friend doesn't even play basketball anymore, does he? And if you wanna be a cheerleader, then I'm sorry, but… – one of the cheerleaders just made a face and shook her head, signaling there was no way she'd become one, and the other ones laughed.

- Actually I… I just wanted to talk to Brooke.

Brooke lifted her head and looked at her.

- Sorry, but I'm busy practicing. Could you come back again like… never? – she grinned.

- It's about Peyton.

At the mention of her best friend's name, Brooke immediately changed her expression from bitchy to concerned.

- What about Peyton? Is she alright? – she got a little closer to Haley cause she didn't want everyone to hear about her. It was nobody else's business.

- I saw her in the English room, she wasn't very well, but she didn't want to talk to me, she just asked me to go, said she wanted to be alone. But I think… maybe you should talk to her.

- Yeah, I agree – Brooke said that and walked out of the gym. The cheerleaders called her but she was already out.

- You're welcome – Haley made an annoyed face and mumbled under her breath. Then she walked out too, meeting Lucas and leaving with him.

Brooke carefully opens the classroom's door, and hears sniffing sounds. She sees Peyton and sits beside her. Peyton doesn't say anything, just rests her head on her friend's shoulder and cries.

- I've been worried about you, you know – Brooke suddenly says, making Peyton look in her eyes for the first time in the last couple of days.

- Sorry, it's just been a rough week.

- What's going on, Peyton?

- It's… - she started talking, but then regret it – it's nothing, don't worry.

- Nothing? When you don't talk to me for two days, you miss practice for the first time since we joined the squad and then I have skinny guy's friend interrupting practice to tell me you're inside a classroom crying, something's got to be wrong.

- Haley called you?

- Yeah, but that doesn't matter right now. Why don't you try talking to me?

- Today… it's been a year, Brooke. One whole year.

She didn't have to say anything else, Brooke knew what she was talking about. And then she cursed herself for not remembering it. A year ago. The day Peyton came to her room crying, lost, telling her she was gone.

- Oh my god. I'm so sorry, I didn't…

- It's ok – Peyton just shrugged.

- But why were you avoiding me? You could've talked to me, you know you can always talk to me.

- Look, I could come to school and pretend I was just angry or didn't feel like talking. I could go home and go to my room and listen to music. But if you saw me, you'd know. You always do. And I wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

Brooke couldn't help but smile. It was true. She'd always just look at Peyton and know if she was mad, or sad, or happy, or hiding something. And she'd always bug the hell out of her friend till she said what was going on. Of course it was always dumb stuff, never something even close to that.

- I went to see her today. I woke up and went to the cemetery, for the first time since the funeral. And I saw her name and I wanted to talk to her. But it doesn't feel like she's there, Brooke. It doesn't feel like she's anywhere. Wasn't I supposed to feel it? – one single tear fell from her eye.

- I think… - Brooke stopped herself for a while, carefully choosing the right words – I think you still didn't get used to it. I mean… you expect to feel her physically by your side, like always. But she's here… in a different way now. I think you just need to find out what's that new way like. You know?

- I've prayed and I talked to her at first. All I wanted was a sign. You know, like this little tiny sign, anything at all, anything that made me believe she's watching over me.

- And you'll find it, Peyton. Maybe you just have to stop looking for it, and it'll just… happen.

- What if it doesn't?

- Then you'll just have to wait a little more till it does. Who knows? Maybe she's still adjusting to things up there and didn't figure out a way to talk to you yet, but she will. And while it doesn't happen, promise you won't run from me anymore, alright? – Brooke said softly, while Peyton smiled and wiped the tears from her own eyes, nodding.

- I promise… I'm sorry.

- So… today's Tuesday… you know what that means? – Brooke asked, trying to cheer her friend up.

- I don't feel like going shopping today.

- What do you mean? It's Tuesday, we've never missed a Tuesday shopping day before. Come on, I'll even buy some creepy weird CD for you. Whichever one you want, and I won't even complain. You shouldn't be home, or alone for that matter – Peyton was gonna say something, but Brooke kept talking – Let's just go, and if you're really not having any fun at all we'll just go to your place, please? – Brooke made her puppy face, the one she knew Peyton could never resist.

- Fine! – Peyton rolled her eyes.

Brooke jumped up excited and reached her hand, helping Peyton get up too.

- What would I do without you?

- Let's not think about that – Brooke smiled and hugged Peyton, both of them getting out of the classroom, making their way to the mall.


	10. Care

**Chapter 10 - Care**

Peyton was still a little saddened that week, but at least she wasn't avoiding Brooke anymore. They talked every once in a while, and as the days went by, Peyton was slowly getting better and happier again. Brooke's birthday was coming up once again. Her parents didn't even mention anything this year, and it's not like she would've believed anything anyway.

- Dad? Can I talk to you? – Peyton entered the kitchen after school.

- Sure honey, everything ok?

- Yeah… it's just that… you know Brooke's birthday is tomorrow, and I thought maybe we could throw her a surprise party here? I could invite everyone in school, and we could get a lot of food and soda, I think she'd like that.

Larry smiled as his daughter asked him that. But then he realized he couldn't afford a party. Not now anyway, with the money problems they were going through. It was time to tell her.

- Honey… daddy has to tell you something, come here.

She sat by his lap and looked at him, serious.

- What is it, dad?

- Look, since mommy died… you know we spent a lot of money with the hospital bills and with the funeral. And I've been trying to get us some money here, but things are… a little complicated.

- So what are we gonna do now?

- I think… maybe I'll have to get bigger jobs again. You remember, like I did before? I won't stay away as long as I did. But I won't go unless you say it's ok, alright?

- It must be fun going on a boat, staying there for days, knowing new places, isn't it, dad?

Larry was a little surprised by his daughter's reaction. He expected her to be sad or worried, but she was smiling and asking about his job. They'd never talked about it before. He wasn't this close to Peyton before Anna died.

- Yeah, it's amazing. We get to visit a lot of places and get to know new people…

As Larry kept talking about his job, Peyton could see how much he missed it, and how much he loved doing what he did. He had already stayed there for a whole year because of her. And she thought it'd be selfish to keep him from doing what he loved. He had been through a lot too, and he deserved some time to himself. Sure, she didn't want him to go, and she needed her father, but he said he wasn't gonna be away as long as he did, maybe it was for the best. Plus, if they needed the money, there weren't many other choices.

- Dad… it's ok. You should go.

- Are you sure?

- Yeah, I am – her voice was so sure, so Larry had no doubts. But she did. She wanted to tell him not to go, that she wished he could stay at least for a while longer. But she couldn't.

- I promise you I'll be gone for a few days, then I'll come back. And while I'm away, I'll get the best sitter ever, alright?

Peyton nodded.

- So… this means we can't have a party for Brooke?

- I'm sorry honey. But you know, I know this manager of that big store in the mall, the one where you bought that little angel bracelet once, remember? So… you could go there with Brooke and get her something, and I'll pay for it later.

- Really? She can choose the present?

- As long as she doesn't choose a TV or a stereo, it's ok – Larry grinned.

- Thanks dad.

Peyton hugged her dad, still sitting on his lap, and then went to her room. She had to draw… something, anything. So she turned the stereo, loud, and laid in bed with a pen and a piece of paper. Sometimes it was all she needed.

A couple of hours later, she grabbed the phone and dialed Brooke's number.

- Hey Brooke.

- Peyton! Thank god you called, you must save me! I'm so bored I've been watching the soap opera! There's this girl, she just found out the guy she likes is actually her half brother, and now she's yelling at him like it's his fault or something. I mean, get it together, woman!

Peyton giggled, which was something basically only her father and Brooke could get her to do.

- Great, cause I was thinking if you wouldn't want to sleep over here today.

- Sure! I'll bring a movie and we could have like our own slumber party!

- Be sure to rent a decent movie, please. I'll even let you choose anything, as long as I don't have to watch the yelling of the out of control half sister!

- Alright – Brooke answered, laughing – I'll be there.

- Okay, bye.

Peyton didn't even hear the doorbell a few hours later, she only saw Brooke bursting into her room with a movie in her hands. When Peyton saw the cover, she looked at Brooke and rolled her eyes.

- Brooke… Clueless? Again?

- Hey, you said I could bring whatever I wanted! – Brooke protested.

- Yeah, fine, let's just watch it. Whatever.

- Wow, since you're so excited about it, we could watch some other thing… - Brooke stopped for a moment – Alright, who am I kidding? We are _so_ watching that movie. Come on, P. Sawyer, get your chicken legs here.

Brooke was already in the living room, sitting on the couch and waiting for her friend. Larry passed by.

- Hey Brooke – then he saw the movies on her hands – So you convinced my daughter to watch that again? You must have some special power. Maybe someday you can convince her to eat my noodle soup too.

- Dad, your soup is even worse than that movie, so I'd rather watch it for the next 10 years!

- You know I should be offended, but you're right – they all laugh – I'm gonna make you girls some popcorn.

- Your dad is so cool! – Brooke said as Peyton sat next to her and Larry went to the kitchen.

- Yeah… he's the best.

Peyton smiled but Brooke noticed a little sadness on her voice.

- Everything ok?

- Sure, why wouldn't it be? – Peyton answered and turned her attention back to the TV.

- Come on, you think I don't see when something's wrong and you're not telling me?

Peyton sighed.

- My dad's gonna start working again. Like he did before, you know? So he's gonna be away for a few days, maybe a week… and he's only gonna stay here for a few days till he has to go again, and again…

- Sorry, Peyton… but hey, you know I'll come here all the time to check on you, right? I mean, I'm always here anyway!

- I know you will – she smiled – I'm just gonna miss him so much – there was silence for a while, until Peyton put the movie back on – But I won't worry about it now. He's here for now, so… let's watch the movie!

Larry came back with a lot of popcorn and placed it in front of the girls. They smiled happily and kept talking while watching the movie.

An hour later, Peyton was fast asleep, her head on Brooke's lap, and Brooke was so focused on the movie that she didn't even notice. When the movie ended, she turned to talk to her friend and only then she noticed she wasn't awake.

- Peyton! Peyton! – she carefully shook her friend – Wake up! The movie's over and I'm sleepy, and your head won't let me get up to go to bed!

- What? – Peyton lifted her head up, barely listening to what Brooke was saying – The movie's over already?

- Yeah, and you don't have to sound so happy about it! Now come on, Goldilocks, let's go to bed – Brooke got up yawning and waited till Peyton did the same.

- Hey! It's past midnight already. Happy birthday, Brooke - Peyton hugged her.

- Well, thank you, best friend! It's good to have someone remembering your birthday without me having to remind everyone – she said, happily.

- I wouldn't forget it. Now come on, let's get some sleep cause I was having the best dream till you woke me up – Peyton puts an arm around Brooke's shoulder and they both go to Peyton's room and fall asleep almost immediately.

- Brooke, come on, it's your birthday! – Peyton jumps in bed, waking Brooke up. It was almost noon already.

- Peyton? Are you crazy? Wasn't _I_ the one who was supposed to be jumping and trying to wake you grumpy ass up?

- Well, who's grumpy now, huh? Come on, Brooke!

- I'm not grumpy, I'm just… – Brooke lets out a huge yawn – a little sleepy. And did you know it's kinda scary when we change personalities?

- I see that – Peyton was unusually happy, which was good considering the week she'd had – Dad made us this really cool pizza for lunch, you have to see it!

- Oh my god, those huge frozen pizzas with the crazy toppings I love so much? He hasn't made those in a while!

- I know… Blame the single parent cooking class for that! But since it's your birthday and all, he decided we should have a special meal! Let's go.

- Oh, I'm there! – Brooke jumps out of bed and runs towards the kitchen, quickly followed by Peyton.

They have lunch, and laugh a lot while eating, cause it seemed Larry put every single thing in sight on that topping, and somehow it turned out good. Of course he was a master at it by now, since the pizza thing was all he could cook shortly after his wife died. The girls watched TV and played the whole afternoon, and in the evening Peyton dragged Brooke to the mall.

- Peyton, what exactly are we doing here? The store closes in like half an hour, and the line for the cashier is huge! – Brooke said, staring at this pink picture frame with the drawing of a little girl in it.

- Do you like it? – Peyton pointed her head to the frame.

- Yeah… but there isn't even time for me to pay… plus I don't have any money here…

- Who said we're gonna pay for it? – Peyton had a huge smile on her face, and Brooke had an incredulous look, but she smiled too.

- Are you kidding? – she laughed.

- Nop… come on! – she carefully took the picture frame, put it in her bag and they ran away from the store till the parking lot, where Peyton took the present and gave it to Brooke – Sorry it's not wrapped… I just got it!

- Oh my god, I can't believe you did this! That was _so_ cool! And thanks for the present.

- It was fun, wasn't it? – Peyton laughed too – We should do this more often.

Brooke's mouth fell open in a way overdramatic gesture.

- So we're gonna become criminals now? I think just the present's enough, Peyton, thank you very much!

They were laughing when they saw one of the security guards leaving the mall, so they quickly grabbed their bicycles and went fast, laughing all the way back to Peyton's house.


	11. Promise

**Chapter 11 - Promise**

- How long is he out on that boat anyway? – 13 year old Brooke polishes her toenails on Peyton's bed, while Peyton's at the computer.

- He's taking longer now, he's away for like 3 weeks at a time.

- That's kinda cool, isn't it? You can do whatever you want, you can stay out all night…

- Yeah… but still, I miss him.

- I don't miss my parents that much. I miss Lindsay, though.

- They're not even calling her anymore when they leave?

- Peyton, where have you been for the last month? I'm all alone at home now, they say I'm old enough to take care of myself. Can't complain, really – Brooke shrugs.

- Sorry, guess I've been distracted lately.

- Everything alright?

- Yeah – Peyton looks at Brooke – I just have some things going on, and I need some answers. That would be the whole mother-daughter talk.

She sits in bed next to Brooke.

- I know the feeling. I might as well not have a mom too. But maybe I can help, what's on your mind?

- You know what? It's not important. What do you wanna do?

Brooke sighs.

- Come on, Peyton, something's bothering you. Plus, you're drawings are creepier this week – she says, looking at her friend's drawing on the wall.

- I promise, it's ok. You wanna sleep over tonight?

- Actually… I have plans with Dylan. He's taking me to the movies – Brooke bounced, happy.

- Brooke, you already ditched me twice this week to go out with some guy!

- I can't help it, they all love me!

Peyton laughs at her friend's excitement.

- I gotta go get ready now. If you want to, I can call you later with the details.

- If I told you I don't want to, would you stop calling? – Peyton asks, already guessing the answer.

- You know I won't! – Brooke grinned – I'll talk to you later, friend – she hugs Peyton quickly and leaves.

Peyton goes to the window and sees Brooke leaving the house. Lately Brooke was all excited about guys, going out with them and sometimes they even went to some parties. They had become really popular, specially over the last years, with the cheerleading squad, they knew pretty much all the basketball players and used to hang out with them all the time. Peyton sometimes didn't seem to like it as much as Brooke, or at least she didn't care about it that much. But she was starting to miss her friend now. She could understand her, though. She liked hanging out with the guys, and she'd go out with a guy every once in a while, but sometimes she just wanted to go shopping on the mall and do girly stuff. It's not like Brooke wasn't there for her anymore, but they were always together, since they were 8, Peyton was used to having Brooke around all the time, and she just missed that.

The week went by slowly for Peyton, Brooke knew she was a little sad lately with no apparent reason. She thought maybe it was PMS or something at first, but now she was a little worried and started thinking of something to cheer her friend up. On Saturday morning Peyton woke up with Brooke happily shaking her.

- Get up, Goldilocks! We have a lot to do today. Come on, we're gonna be late!

- Brooke, what are you babbling about? I thought we were going to the mall after lunch, it's like 8:30 right now!

- Yup, we are, but I noticed the way you're behaving lately, and I didn't want you to stay here alone, pouting all morning, I thought we could have the whole day just to ourselves!

- We _are_ in need of some girl time – Peyton stated and smiled, glad with her friend's idea. So she got out of bed and went to her closet – So… what are we gonna be late for? – she asked, while choosing an outfit.

- Well… my dad's home… - she starting saying it, Peyton immediately turned to her with a huge smile on her face, already knowing what Brooke meant by it.

- We're going on the boat? – she asked, smiling.

Brooke nodded and they both jumped excitedly. When they got to Brooke's house, her dad was already outside, ready to go. He and the girl's mom weren't the reliable types, but when he promised a day on his boat, he usually kept that promise. And the girls just loved it. They'd gone on the boat a lot of times over the last couple of years, since her dad bought it. It was probably a way for him to try and take some of his guilt away from leaving his daughter home alone for so long. He'd take them and take some sandwiches, they made a day of it, but even then, he and Brooke barely talked.

- Ready to go, girls?

They didn't even have to answer his question, just went quickly inside the car, and he drove to the marina. Later that morning, both girls were lying on their back, getting tanned. Then Brooke sat up, facing Peyton.

- Having fun, P. Sawyer?

- Hell yeah, B. Davis!

- Good… I was hoping to get you to cheer up a little – Brooke seemed happy with herself for succeeding – You wanna talk about what's been bothering you?

Peyton looked at her friend, thinking of a good way to put things.

- You remember when we were like 8, and the only things we had to worry about were like… playing and sleepovers and… I don't know, doing homework?

- Who did homework? I never worried about it – Brooke raised her eyebrow like Peyton was talking crazy, causing her to laugh. Brooke's dimples appeared with a caring smile, telling Peyton to go on.

-Things were just simple, you know? And now I have all these questions and doubts, sometimes I'm sad and I don't even know why, and I just wish I had somebody who's already been through it, you know? Someone who could tell me what to do, or of this is normal, or even just tell me everything's gonna be alright.

- Well, _that_ I can do! Look, Peyton, I know you miss her… - she checked Peyton's reaction, her mom's death was still a touchy subject – And if I had a mom as great as yours was, then we could share, and I'd be happy to. But I guess we're gonna have to go through some of these scary stuff by ourselves. But hey… - she noticed Peyton lowered her head a little, and touched her chin, causing her to look back up, at Brooke – it doesn't mean you're gonna be alone. There's no way I'll let that happen.

- I know you won't – Peyton knew it, she could feel it in every word that Brooke really meant it.

- And… P. Sawyer? One more thing – she knew she shouldn't promise that, she knew there was no way she could be sure or even control it, but right now she wanted to make Peyton feel as safe as possible.

- What? – Peyton asked softly.

She smiled as she said it like, somehow, she knew it was true.

- Everything's gonna be alright.


	12. Family

_Thank you so much for the reviews! I already got this story figured out, and I even have the ending planned, but I'll probably still write like 6 or 7 chapters, maybe a little more than that. I really appreciate the reviews, and I hope you like reading the story as much as I like writing it! Oh, and thanks to Ally-617-luv-tv for always reviewing. And I'll try to update Kill the Pain soon, but I'm trying to get this one finished and then focus on the other one. And thanks for my sister by heart aka roommate aka H. James too! Oh, and I'm already starting to write a new story, it takes place right before the whole Derek thing, and how I imagine him acting like he's a good guy, and how everyone's gonna deal when they find out he's a crazy psycho. I basically started writing it after I watched episode 3 and I'm going along with the spoilers and writing what I imagine happens after it. But I'll stop with that now and babble about it when I publish the fic here! Anyway, here's the new chapter!

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**Chapter 12 - Family**

When Brooke said the words, Peyton was amazed at how true they seemed. Maybe it was Brooke's strength, or her concern for her friend, but, for some reason, this was the first time in a long time she really believed those words. Maybe Brooke was right, and she was just worrying too much.

- You can't know that, Brooke – Peyton chuckled.

- I know stuff – she said simply, reminding them of those exact words Brooke had said to Peyton when her mom died, when she was trying to make sure she knew her mom didn't want to leave, she just had to.

- You know what? You really do – they both smiled.

The next hours were calm, they had a lot of fun, had lunch and then Brooke started getting sick as usual so they had to go back. After that, they went to the mall and met Nathan and Tim.

- Hey guys! – Brooke greeted them, sitting by their table.

- Brooke! Peyton! We came to the mall and you weren't here! It was like the coach not yelling at us at practice, or me not flunking Math!

- Tim, just say it was weird! – Nathan rolled his eyes and the girls laughed – So, what have you girls been up to?

- Well, Brooke's dad took us on his boat. It was so fun!

- Uhhh, skinny dipping, huh? – Tim made a face and Brooke just grinned and gave him a little nod and a wink. He almost chocked on his soda.

- So… how's the basketball thing? – Peyton asked, just trying to make conversation.

- Actually, it's a little lame, we're gonna need like 4 new players this year – Nathan shook his head like this was a total crisis.

- Wow! New meat on the team, huh? I love new guys! They're usually so lost and insecure. It's cute really! – Brooke didn't give a rat's ass about basketball, but when they talked about the players, then suddenly she was all ears.

They kept talking for a long time, walking around the mall. The girls liked being around Nathan, he was nice and funny and not bad to look at. Tim, on the other hand, was a little annoying sometimes, but the guy was sweet on his own way. And if hanging out with Nathan meant they had to be around Tim too, that was worth it. Plus, Nathan was a good friend too. Most of the time they'd talk about anything or nothing at all, stupid stuff, but sometimes, when he noticed one of the girls was sad, he'd ask them and make sure they were okay. So they had a great time and when the girls went back to Peyton's it was almost night time already.

- So… no big plans tonight? – Peyton asked while throwing her bag on the corner of her room.

- Actually, I have!

- Oh… - Peyton sounded disappointed.

- Yeah… there's his best friend of mine, you know? We haven't hung out in a while, an know it's my fault, and I noticed she's too sad lately and then I thought if I could stop being this crappy friend and just…

- Brooke! – Peyton had to interrupt her friend's babble, as usual – It's ok, really.

- No, it's not – she shook her head – I just want you to know that the guys… we have fun, and I like them. But I _love_ you. And I wouldn't put them before you. I need you to know that, ok?

Peyton's eyes got a bit teary as she nodded.

- I missed you – Peyton said.

- I missed you too.

Brooke hugged her friend, then closed her hands in a fist and pointed at Peyton.

- Hoes over bros?

Peyton laughed. Only Brooke could come up with something like that.

- Hoes over bros – and the girls' hands met.

- You're my best friend, Peyton, and no guy is ever gonna change that.

- Good to know. Cause lately I had the feeling I was losing my best friend.

- Not gonna happen! Now come on! I got Bring It On on the video store!

Peyton rolled her eyes, but gave in. It's not like she had a choice. Plus, at least it was better than Clueless.

- You think we're ever gonna be like that? – Brooke asked, right after the movie was over.

- Brooke, you're a cheerleader, you're popular, everyone likes you, trust me, you already are like that.

- No… I mean… do something huge, you know? Make a difference.

- Since when do you worry about that? – Peyton chuckled.

Brooke turned her head to Peyton and she knew something was up, so she turned serious again.

- I heard my parents fighting the other day…

- They're fighting again? – Peyton was now concerned.

- Yeah… but this time it was about me. They said I'm a spoiled girl who will never be anything in life. They didn't know I was listening… God, I don't think they knew I was home. They were fighting about work, and suddenly it was about me and what a huge disappointment I am.

- What? They actually said that?

- Yeah… - Brooke fought back the tears that were forming in her eyes – But hey… they're just parents, right? What do they know anyway?

- Brooke… your parents don't even know you. I do. They have no idea what a wonderful person you are. And if they don't take their time to get to know their daughter, then it's their loss.

- Most of the time they don't even know I'm there. Even if I did something really huge, they probably wouldn't notice anyway.

- You're capable of so many things, I know you are. And you're gonna do some amazing stuff in your life. But when you do, don't do it for them, they don't deserve it. Do it for yourself.

- I guess you're right.

- Of course I'm right! I know stuff too, you know? – Peyton smiled.

- I just… I miss them, I really do. Even when they're home, it's like they're never there. You know, when I was 6 we went on vacation and spent like two weeks away, just the three of us, and they'd take me to all these cool places, and then for ice cream, they didn't just throw money at me. That was the last time they acted like I was really their daughter. And it just… changed.

- I'm sorry… Looks like it's just you and me, huh?

- Yeah, but you know what? I think it's gonna be enough.

- Well, it's always been, hasn't it?

That's the way things worked since Larry started working away. It's always been just the two of them, and while they were going through pre adolescence and boys and first kisses and PMS, they were on their own, so they had to learn and figure things out by themselves. They were used to it by now, but that didn't mean they didn't miss their parents. To anyone else in school, it seemed like they had the perfect lives, and they never let anyone else see that, in fact, they missed having a normal family.

The phone ringed, and Peyton answered it.

- Hello? Hey dad, how's everything? – Peyton's face lit up when she talked to her father – Really? You're coming back earlier? Great, we'll go to dinner and celebrate as soon as you get here. Of course she's here – she looked at Brooke and Brooke squealed happily – and I'm sure she'll like to come with us. Alright dad, I'll see you tomorrow! Love you too.

Peyton hung up and jumped in bed, almost throwing Brooke out of it.

- My dad's coming tomorrow! He's coming… TOMORROW!

Brooke laughed and joined Peyton. When they got tired of jumping in bed, they went to the kitchen to have a snack before going to bed.

- He really asked if I was here? – Brooke asked.

- No, actually, he assumed you were here – Peyton grinned and Brooke threw a cereal at her while sticking her tongue out – He's glad you're always here, Brooke. He says he feels better knowing someone's looking out for me.

- Really? Well, good! Nice to know I'm doing a good job – Brooke smiled proudly.

* * *

- So, when's he coming? He's gonna get here any moment, isn't he? And then we'll go have dinner! – Brooke barged into Peyton's room, making her jump out of bed. 

Peyton should be used to it by now, but it still scared the hell out of her when she was half asleep and Brooke just invaded her room like that.

- Jeez, Brooke! You wanna kill me?

- Not today, P. Sawyer! So… we had a great game, the guys won, we cheered, now we're having dinner with your hot dad! I guess we can call it a great day, can't we?

- Ok, first of all, major EW! Don't talk about my dad like this, Brooke! It's gross! And yeah, he's coming, but only in like 2 hours. And I was hoping to get some sleep before that, but for some reason I'm guessing you won't let me.

- Wow, nice to see you too! Come on, let's get ready! – Brooke grabbed Peyton's hand and forced her to get up – We gotta choose the outfit, make up, shoes…

- Alright, alright! I'm up, you can stop now. Let's get ready!

Two hours later, they had decided on the outfit and shoes, but were still putting on make up when they heard the front door opening. Both girls rushed to the living room and jumped on Larry's waiting arms. After all these years, he already thought of Brooke as a step daughter, and whenever he was in Tree Hill, she spent her time with him and his daughter. He loved Brooke for the friend she was to Peyton, and he knew her parents didn't really care about her, so he took to himself the responsibility to be a parent to her too, and he didn't mind at all. Both Peyton and Brooke were great kids, and he was proud of the people they were becoming.

- Dad! It's so great to see you! I missed you! – Peyton was crying, but those were happy tears.

- I've missed you too, baby. Both of you – he looked at Brooke and smiled.

- How's everything with you girls?

- Great! We were just finishing getting ready to dinner! – Brooke answered before Peyton could say a word.

- Alright then, you two go get ready and I'll do the same, ok? Then we're out of here!

- Okay! – Brooke giggled and went back to Peyton's room. Peyton turned to follow her but Larry stopped her softly.

- Peyton… everything alright with you? You know how much I worry when I'm not around, don't you? – he had concern in his eyes. But Peyton smiled and tried her best to calm him.

- I'm ok, dad. I really am. I've got Brooke, I've got all my friends in school, a pretty wonderful house, the best dad ever…

- Who's never here – he completed, quietly.

- I promise you, dad. I understand it, I do. You have to do that, and you love your job. Plus, it's cool having the house to myself too.

He raised his eyebrow.

- You're not partying all night and wrecking the house, are you?

Both of them laughed, Peyton shaking her head. He kissed her forehead and they heard Brooke yelling from her room.

- Peyton, get your skinny ass here! We gotta get ready!

Larry and Peyton laughed and she went to her room. Not long after that, they were all ready, and left to go to a restaurant. But on their way, they found a new pizza place they'd never been to, and decided to eat there.

- Wow! This thing's amazing! – Brooke said, eating a huge piece of cheese pizza, and Peyton nodded, already with her mouth full.

Larry just laughed. It was great seeing the girls having fun and laughing with him. It was great to be home. He wished he didn't have to stay away for so long, but he had to do this, Peyton deserved the best, and he would make sure she'd get it.

- So dad! How long you're staying this time? A week? – that was the usual amount of time he stayed.

- Actually – he smiled as he said it – I'm staying for three weeks this time. I talked to the guys at work and said I needed some time with my family.

- Oh my god, dad, I can't believe it! That's so great! – she jumped in his arms and hugged him tight – I love you so much!

- It's gonna be so fun! Cause in two weeks we're gonna have the Burning Boat thing, and Peyton and I were thinking of going, and now you can come with us, and… - Brooke suddenly stopped – Sorry… you need time with your daughter, that's why you're staying, right? I just talk too much sometimes.

- Brooke! – he said, still smiling – I said I needed time with my family. In case you haven't noticed, you've been a part of this family for like 4 years now. I'd love to take the two of you to the Burning Boat.

Brooke was a little taken aback by what he said, so, in a rare moment, Brooke Davis was speechless. Her eyes got teary as she, too, hugged Larry. Then she blushed a little and went back to her seat. They talked about school, cheerleading, they even celebrated the team's victory that day. Larry was sorry he couldn't be there, but he promised the girls he'd go to every single game while he was in town. And they knew he would. He wasn't like Brooke's parents. He wasn't away all the time because he didn't care, he just had to. And when he was in town, he wanted to be a part of their lives as much as possible.

They went back home and Peyton slept peaceful. She had the two most important people in her life right there with her, and she didn't need anything else. Her dad stopped by her room and kissed their forehead.

- Good night girls. I love you.

He turned off the lights, so it was dark and he didn't see the huge smile on Brooke's face. It was good to have this feeling again. They were a family. They've accepted her and made her feel like she was a part of something. She didn't feel like she was intruding, cause they always made sure she knew she was always welcome. She was a part of that family. And she loved that feeling.


	13. Love

**Chapter 13 - Love**

- Come on, Peyton, he's not that bad!

- He's a jerk, I don't get why you'd date a guy like that.

- He's cute, he's popular, and most of all, he's a great kisser – Brooke answered, as if that was the main reason.

They were both 15 years old, had started high school that year and Brooke was dating this Patrick guy, he was a sophomore and a complete idiot as far as Peyton was concerned.

- Okay, whatever, I gotta go to History class anyway – Peyton left before Brooke could answer.

It was true, the guy really was an idiot, but specially to Peyton. For some reason he seemed to hate her and always found a way to make her feel bad, but only when Brooke wasn't around, of course. She didn't want to say anything to Brooke, she was happy with him, so Peyton would just avoid the guy and everything would be ok. Unfortunately, that meant she was avoiding Brooke too. So she went to class and was surprised when he sat up right beside her.

- So… Brooke's birthday's in a few weeks!

- Yeah, so what? – she asked him, annoyed.

- I'm thinking of taking her to dinner.

- That's great, Patrick, good for you.

- I mean, I know you have that stupid tradition on her birthday, but she mentioned she's sick of it, and she can't wait for something more… you know… exciting to do.

- I'm sure she did. Can I listen to the class now?

Peyton didn't believe a word he said. Brooke always spent her birthday with Peyton, and she loved their little tradition. But she had a boyfriend now, maybe she'd really prefer going out with him.

- Hey, Peyton! – Brooke ran to her at lunch break – Guess what? Patrick just asked me out for dinner on my birthday!

- What? And you're going?

- Yeah, sure. I thought I could go right af…

- You know what? I don't feel good, I'll see you later, alright? – Peyton stormed out for the second time that day, and bumped into Patrick on the way.

- Whoa! Look where you're going! – when he saw who it was, he grinned – Awww… you're sad your friend replaced you with me? Why don't you go cry to your mommy? Oh, I forgot, you don't have one!

That was it. Peyton could act strong and fool everybody, but when the subject was her mom, she always fell apart. That pain would never go away, she knew that now. She started to run away, but something made her stop. Nathan's voice.

- What the hell do you think you're doing? You better leave her alone – he grabbed the guy by the shirt and pinned him to the wall, he was about to beat him up when Brooke showed up, quickly going to them.

- Nathan? What's going on? Leave him alone!

- You wanna know what's going on? Ask Peyton, your boyfriend's a jerk to her in case you haven't noticed – Nathan answered, his eyes never leaving Patrick.

- That's bullshit! I say a little thing, the girl starts crying – Patrick shrugged.

- Patrick, what's he talking about? What did…? – at this moment Brooke's eyes met Peyton's, and she saw pain and insecurity. He definitely did something, and whatever it was, he was gonna pay for it – What did you do to her? – she yelled, while pointing her finger at him.

- Brooke… I'm just gonna go, ok? – Peyton talked for the first time since Patrick mentioned her mother, her voice low and sad. Then she turned around and walked away. Brooke looked at Nathan and he was as worried as she was.

- Go talk to her, Brooke. She shouldn't be alone. I'll deal with this guy.

- Thanks Nathan. For everything. And you – she turned to Patrick – I'll deal with you later. And… by the way, honey… we are _done_!

She said that and ran outside, looking for Peyton. She soon found her, still walking fast, away from there.

- Peyton! – Brooke yelled, making her stop, then ran to her – What just happened in there? Why were you crying?

- I'm sorry, I'm overreacting to everything lately.

- No, I'm sure you're not. What did he say?

- It was not that big a deal… I was just a little upset cause you were going to dinner with him instead of going to the mall like we always do. I know it's stupid, cause he's your boyfriend, of course you were gonna…

- Peyton! You're babbling. Can I talk?

- Yeah, sure, sorry – Peyton laughed softly while wiping her tears.

- Okay, number one, I wasn't gonna abandon our tradition on my birthday, I love it! I'd never do that. I was gonna say it when you stormed out, we would go for dinner after you and I went to the mall. And number two, he's not my boyfriend anymore.

- What? Why not?

- No one makes my best friend cry and gets away with it – she smiled warmly – I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. He really is a jerk.

Peyton nodded quietly, a little ashamed for not telling Brooke, and for thinking her best friend would ditch her like that.

- Why didn't you tell me, Peyton?

- You seemed to be so happy. And it didn't really bother me that much, you know, until he brought up the whole "you don't have a mom" thing. And he was already saying he was doing a good job replacing me. I know it's all stupid, but this time of the year's hard enough, so… you know.

- I can't believe he would say that to you! I mean, I knew the guy wasn't an angel, but I didn't think he could do that. How could I ever replace you? I couldn't. And hey, you _do_ have a mom, and she loves you. She's just not physically here anymore. Don't cry, please? – she saw Peyton's eyes were still teary – I can't stand to see you crying, you know that – Brooke opened her arms and hugged Peyton, with a few tears in her eyes too.

- I'm sorry you broke up – Peyton said in a low voice.

- No, you're not – Brooke laughed – And you know what? Neither am I. Will you stop avoiding me now?

- Yeah – Peyton smiled, and Brooke gave her a quick hug.

- Come on, let's go have lunch – Brooke grabbed her hand and they went back inside the school.

The girls walked into the cafeteria and Nathan came as soon as he saw them, protectively putting his arms around Peyton's shoulders.

- Hey… you girls alright?

- Yeah, it's okay now. Thanks, Nate – Peyton said softly.

- It's alright, the guy's an ass anyway.

- I can't believe I didn't notice – Brooke mumbled to herself.

- Brooke… get over it! – Peyton said while playfully punching her friend's shoulder, reassuring Brooke it was fine. It's not like it was her fault.

- So… there's a game tonight. You wanna hang out with me and the guys after it? – Nathan asked. He didn't know why he still asked, they _always_ hung out with the guys after a game.

But this time Peyton didn't feel like it. Brooke was used to it, next week would be her mom's death anniversary, and at this time she would be quieter than usual, and barely talked to anyone. So they'd turn down every invitation to parties or dates, and Brooke would go to Peyton's house and stay there for the week. Sometimes Peyton cried, sometimes she just wanted to be left alone, sometimes she acted like nothing was bothering her. But no matter what, Brooke was there. So Brooke didn't wait for Peyton's answer when Nathan invited them.

- You know what, Nate? We can't go today. I mean, we'll go to the game, but then my parents are having some big business dinner at my place and they want me to be there, to show everyone "what a perfectly well behaved daughter" they have – Brooke did air quotes on the last sentence, making Nathan laugh – And Peyton promised to go with me so I won't die of boredom.

It was a total lie. Well, it did happen every once in a while. Those were the only times Brooke's parents insisted that she was home. They wanted people to see what a beautiful happy family they had. Total bullshit, of course, but she played along. The food was always pretty good. Plus, Peyton would always go with her and sometimes they ended up having fun. As fun as a boring business dinner could get anyway. She felt bad lying to Nathan, but no one else needed to know the real reason they weren't going. Peyton didn't like to show when she was sad. She played tough most of the time, as did Brooke. So the only people who knew what was really going on with them were each other.

- Oh… that's ok. We're gonna miss you girls, though.

- Well, duh! – Brooke said it like it was the most obvious thing.

They laughed, even though Peyton was still quieter than usual.

- Alright, I gotta talk to the coach, see you at the game?

- Sure. See you later – Peyton said, absent minded.

The girls went to the gym that night and joined the other cheerleaders. They were talking to a couple of other girls who were their age, since they barely knew the older ones. Then suddenly Haley went to one of the seniors, a blonde girl who was talking happily to the captain of the squad. The girl's enthusiasm faded when she saw Haley, though.

- What? You think I like being here any more than you like seeing me here? – Haley quickly said before the blonde could open her mouth.

- Fine, what's up, little sis? – she grinned.

- I was studying. It's late. Need a ride.

- Sure, whatever, just meet me after the game.

- Aren't you sweet? – Haley gave her a fake smile and left, while the girl made a face and turned back to her friends.

- WHAT? Taylor is Haley's sister? – Brooke looked at Peyton in shock.

- Apparently – Peyton shrugged, then laughed at Brooke's surprised face – Don't look at me like that, it's not like I knew it!

- But Taylor's popular… and, you know… not a geek!

- Brooke, they're sisters. They share the same blood, doesn't mean they're the same person – Peyton was amused.

- Still, it's kinda weird.

- Okay, can we go and cheer – she put her pompoms up in the air, not very excited – and get this over with so I can go home?

- Wow, aren't you Spirit Girl? – Brooke said and Peyton hit her with her pompoms.

Peyton liked complaining about cheerleading and basketball just to see the look on Brooke's face. But it wasn't really that bad. Specially at this time of the year, it was a distraction, and not a bad one. The guys on the team were nice to hang out with, at least the ones who always hung out with them: Nathan, Tim and Jake. Jake had a girlfriend, so he didn't go out with them sometimes. They'd never met the girl, she went to another school and didn't make a point in meeting Jake's friends. But Jake and the girl seemed to be crazy about each other.

The game ended, another swooping victory by the Ravens, specially because of Nathan. He came closer to the cheerleaders.

- Come on, let's celebrate!

- Boys and booze? Count me in! – Taylor said, then left, followed by most of the other girls.

Nathan laughed and looked at Brooke and Peyton's direction.

- You sure you don't wanna go?

- Sorry. Can't – Brooke said – but it seems Taylor's gonna party for all the squad. You won't even miss us.

They laughed and saw Haley talking to Taylor again. It was hard to believe they were sisters. And by what they saw before and were seeing now, Peyton and Brooke guessed they weren't the closest of sisters. Everyone left and Brooke turned to Peyton.

- Ready to go? – she asked softly. Peyton just nodded and they both left, Brooke putting an arm around the girl's shoulder.

* * *

_I hope you liked it. Personally I was expecting to end this chapter in some other way, but I couldn't think of anything. Please review and tell me what you thought of it. Oh, and don't forget to read my one shot fic I published a few days ago, called The Boy I Love Protected the Girl I Love! Thanks for reading!_


	14. Mistakes

**Chapter 14 – Mistakes**

The week wasn't that bad after all. Larry soon came home to spend a few days with the girls, and even though it was a sad week, it seemed like Peyton was slowly healing, which meant she laughed more, she got out of the house, she even allowed herself to have some fun. But still she was distant from people in school and didn't feel like going to parties. Larry left the weekend after that. He even got to watch a Ravens game before he left, something he hadn't been able to do in a long time.

Later that week they had another game. All the cheerleaders were gathered outside the gym. Susan, the captain of the squad, went to Brooke.

- So… I heard you totally took the lead and played the captain on the last practice.

- Oh, I'm sorry, everyone seemed to be lost when you didn't show up, and I already knew all the moves…

- Oh no, I'm not mad about it! The girls told me you were amazing! I'm sorry I couldn't come, I was so sick I couldn't even got out of bed.

- It's ok… it was just practice anyway, right?

- Yeah… so… you know I graduate this year, right? – Brooke nodded and Susan went on – I think the squad would be thrilled to have you as their captain next year.

At this moment one of the other girls heard their conversation and jumped into it.

- Great! You told her about the captain thing? – she turned to Brooke – I told her you were absolutely great the other day!

Brooke could hardly believe it. One by one, all the other girls heard it and agreed to it. Finally, Brooke saw Peyton, who hadn't said anything yet. Peyton then opened up a huge smile and ran to hug her friend.

- Can you believe it? – Brooke jumped as she said it.

- Awesome! You deserve it, Brooke. I know how much it means to you.

They celebrated a little more, till it was time for the game. And right after it they all went to Nathan's beach house.

- So… have you decided what we're gonna steal this year at the mall? – Peyton put an arm around Brooke's shoulder as they got to the party.

- Not really – Brooke shrugged.

Peyton looked at her friend quietly. Brooke was always hyper when her birthday was close, specially when they talk about potential birthday presents.

- Alright, what's going on?

- Brooke! Peyton! Decided to finally join us, huh? – Nathan suddenly interrupted them, already a little drunk – So what do you say I get you two something to drink?

- Great idea! – Brooke said and went to the kitchen.

- Guess she'll get it herself – Nathan said, smiling – How about you, Peyton?

- I'm good, thanks Nate.

They talked a little, but then Tim came calling Nathan, asking about food, so Peyton was by herself. She knew something was up with Brooke, and it seemed the girl had just found a new way to deal with it. She was drinking. Non stop.

- Brooke… Brooke! – About an hour and a half later, Peyton pulled her away from a guy who was basically attacking her.

- What are you doing? The guy was hot!

- How would you know? You're so drunk you probably wouldn't notice if he was Mr. Ferguson!

- Mr. Ferguson's here? He's not that bad either.

- No, he's not here! – Peyton rolled her eyes – And you know why? Cause he's our teacher! AND he's 67 years old!

Brooke just shrugged and was about to leave when Peyton pulled her again. Only this time Brooke brushed her off.

- I told you, leave me alone! I already missed the last two parties because of you, you're not gonna keep me from having fun this week too, are you?

Peyton was taken aback by the harshness in Brooke's voice, so she let her g and stood there. Sure, the girl was drunk, but she'd never ever said something like that before.

- Tired of the party already?

She looked up to see Jake, and nodded with a sad smile.

- I'm heading off, you need a ride?

- You don't mind?

He smiled and reached his hand to help her get up. When she did, she almost stumbled on a very drunk Taylor.

- Hey! Watch it, blondie!

Peyton decided not to answer, she wasn't gonna argue with someone who wouldn't even remember it the next day. It just wasn't worth it. She was surprised to see Nathan, just as drunk as Taylor, going after her. And two minutes later they were both heading to one of the bedrooms.

- Don't take it personally, they become bitchy after this much alcohol – Jake said, referring to Taylor.

- Yeah… I know – Peyton said, looking at Brooke.

- Ready to go?

She nodded and they left. A couple of hours later, Peyton was on her bed, her stereo on with a U2 album playing, when she heard a car outside. She went to the window and saw a guy helping someone out of the car. Brooke. Peyton couldn't believe it. Brooke had never gotten this drunk before. And she was even more surprised when the guy just left her in front of the house, went back to his car and drove away. Peyton rushed to the front door to see Brooke there, barely standing on her own. She didn't say anything, just helped Brooke before she'd fall to the floor.

- I should just call them right now! I mean it, give me the phone! – Brooke mumbled the words and reached for a phone that was at least 20 feet away from her, which almost made her fall again.

- Brooke, come on, you should get some sleep – Peyton rolled her eyes, not too happy with the situation.

- No! I wanna call them and tell them their precious little daughter just had sex for the first time! Sure, they don't even remember my birthday, and they're traveling cause one of their friends is celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, and they can't miss it! Can you believe it? It's ok to miss my birthday every year, but god forbid they don't congratulate their friend. Maybe if I tell them I'm not a virgin anymore they'll bother to come, at least to yell at me!

Brooke was yelling and Peyton was trying to absorb it all. The problem was with her parents. Of course, she should've known. They were _always_ the ones who made Brooke feel bad. But what she was having a hard time believing was that Brooke had sex. It was her first time, and she was drunk, and she did it with a guy who wouldn't even walk her to the door and make sure she was ok. Right now all that Peyton wanted was to find this guy, throw him out of his car and run him over with it. But she knew she had to keep calm. Specially cause, the way Brooke was behaving right now, she knew she'd have to wait till the next day to talk about it. So she sighed and turned her attention back to her best friend.

- Let's get you upstairs so you can rest, ok? – she put Brooke's arms around her shoulder and helped her to the room.

Brooke fell on her friend's bed, Peyton took her shoes off, then covered her with a blanket and laid down too, staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes, the silence was broken by Brooke's weak and shaky voice.

- I'm sorry, Peyton – she was a little teary.

Peyton turned to her side and wiped a tear from her friend's face, smiling softly.

- Don't worry about it, ok? As long as you're alright… and you will be, I promise.

- How about you?

Peyton smiled again.

- I'm alright too, Brooke.

- Ok… - that seemed to be enough for the girl, who soon closed her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

_As always, I hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think. And expect more updates soon, yay! I've already written half of the next chapter, and I'll try to write more soon, specially cause I'm on vacation and have absolutely nothing to worry about but my lovely fics! Thank you for reading!_


	15. Consequences

_Hey everyone! I told you it wasn't gonna take too long for me to UD! Actually, it took longer than I planned, I had the chapter ready two days ago, but my computer went crazy and I had to have it fixed and managed to survive more than 26 hours without it! Anyway... I'm writing a new chapter for my other fic Kill the Pain right now, I have some stuff planned for this one, but I still have some details to sort out before I can write the next chapter! Please review and, if I don't UD again till Christmas, merry X-mas everyone! And thank you soo much to everyone who's been helping me with the stories, and are always supportive by leaving lovely reviews! You know who you are!_

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* * *

Chapter 15 – Consequences**

- I don't feel so good.

- You don't say! – Peyton rolled her eyes as she brought Brooke some hang over drink – I found the recipe on the internet, it's supposed to be really good. Plus, I added some extra stuff I had in the kitchen.

- Like what? – Brooke asked, already taking a sip of the mysterious liquid and making an 'ew' face.

- Don't ask me that – Peyton grinned.

- My stomach feels like… like a blender! And I'm really thirsty, and a little hungry, but just the thought of any food makes me sick… er!

- It's called a hang over, Brooke. And you totally deserve it, if you ask me.

- No, it can't be! We both agreed that I don't have hang overs!

- You didn't. But then again, you never drank for four hours straight before. Now drink this and go take a shower. I got you a towel and some clothes.

- Fine, fine. I'm going!

Brooke drank the rest of the… well, the thing Peyton made and headed to the bathroom. Right before the shower, Peyton heard her throw up. So she went closer to the door and knocked softly.

- Need any help there?

- I'm good!

When Brooke got out of the bathroom, she was pale. She just went back to the bed and sighed.

- I'm hungry.

- Well, yeah! You just threw up everything you ate this week – she playfully punched Brooke and they both laughed – I'll go get you some crackers and juice.

Peyton soon came back with the food and handed it to Brooke.

- This should do it. But eat like a tiny piece every once in a while, or else you'll end up running back to the bathroom.

- Thanks – she said in a low voice. And then she looked up at her friend – Peyton… about yesterday, I'm really sorry. I had a lot on my mind, and I know this is not an excuse for me to be a bitch to my best friend – then she stopped, realizing she was babbling – I didn't mean it.

- It's ok, it really is. I just wished you would've talked to me about your parents. You always did.

- Yes, I did. I still do. And it helps me a lot, P. Sawyer. But it doesn't change the fact that they're never here. The fact that a business meeting or a friend's anniversary or dinner with associates, everything's more important then their daughter. _Anything_ is more important than me.

- Then they're idiots! – Brooke looks at Peyton as she says it, raising her eyebrows in surprise – I'm sorry, Brooke, I know they're your parents, but that's what they are. _They're_ the problem, not you. Don't you ever think of believing otherwise. You shouldn't go and get drunk and do stuff you don't want to just because they're such jerks. It doesn't help, and it won't change things, cause the problem's in _them!_

- I know that – Brooke said, holding back the tears – But they're the only parents I have, Peyton.

- You know that's not true – Peyton sits on the end of the bed, gently putting her hands on Brooke's shoulder – You have my dad. I mean, I know he's not always around, but he loves you and he worries about you. He always asks about you when he calls, wants to know if you're ok…

- Really? He does?

- Don't act so surprised, you already knew that.

- I kinda did. Just feels good to hear you say it – she smiled.

- Here, you should try eating some more. How's the stomach?

- Still weird, but a little better.

- You want some more of my miraculous medicine? It would've worked if you'd kept it in – Peyton laughed as Brooke shoved her tongue at her.

- Peyton… - Brooke started, a few minutes later – When are you gonna yell at me for sleeping with that guy?

- Actually, I was thinking of kicking his ass first.

That seemed to make Brooke relax a little, she laughed but soon her laughter faded and turned into a worried face again.

- It was my mistake, you know? Not his.

- You were drunk. He took advantage…

- No, he didn't! I mean, maybe a little, but that's not the point. I chose to do it at that moment. Was it a smart decision? No. But it was mine.

- And how do you feel about it now? This is a huge thing.

- Like I shouldn't have done it. Like I'm a slut.

- Don't say that – Peyton lowered her head.

- Come on, you saw the way he just left me here.

- That's exactly why the guy's dead if he ever crosses my way. And by the way, why _did_ he leave you here?

- I told him I wanted to go home, he asked me where that was, and before I knew it, I was here.

- Good, at least _that_ he did right – Peyton smiled warmly.

- So… how was the party for you?

- Nothing too exciting. Hung out with Nathan and the guys for a while.

- Nathan, huh? You've been hanging out a lot with him lately.

- So have you, Brooke!

- Still, you two would be… interesting together. Plus, he seems to be into you.

- Oh really? Then he has a weird way of showing it, cause he ran to his bedroom with Taylor yesterday.

- Nathan and Taylor? There's an epic romance! – Brooke giggled at the thought.

- Actually… they probably will barely remember it. They were so drunk… even more than you, I'd say.

- Wow! In that case, I really don't wanna imagine the hang over they have right now. How did you come home?

- Jake gave me a ride – Peyton stopped for a moment – He seemed nervous, and in the car I asked him if there was something wrong, he said he needed to talk to his girlfriend, it seemed serious.

- Ooooh, Mystery Woman! You know what? I bet he has to tell her they can't be together anymore cause he's in love with someone else!

- Oh really? And who would that someone else be?

- Me – Brooke answered, matter-of-factly.

- I'm sure he's over the top in love with you, Brooke.

- Good, me too – she grinned.

Brooke was just like that most of the times. She said these things like she actually believed them, and anyone who didn't know her would think she did. It was her way of lightening the mood when one of them wasn't on their best day, and it worked every time. They spent the rest of the day in the house because of Brooke. When she realized her stomach wasn't getting any better anytime soon, Brooke reluctantly accepted a little more or the weird hang over juice… mix… liquid thingy. To both girls' surprise, it really worked. About 15 minutes after drinking it, the brunette started to feel better.

- I have no idea what you put in that thing, but you better write it down. It's magic!

- Good to know, maybe I'll sell it and get some money out of it. And then we can eat some real food, cause I can't even look at these crackers anymore!

- Calm down, Peyton Marie Sawyer. You can eat something else, you know?

- And get fat alone? Are you kidding me? No way, if I'm getting fat I'm dragging you down with me! And don't you 'Peyton Marie Sawyer' me! I had my period last week – she threw a pillow at Brooke, both of them laughing and already planning what kind of pizza they were gonna get as soon as Brooke stopped whining about the hang over from hell.

- Hey! I don't whine! – Brooke protested.

- What? Who said you did?

- You were thinking it! – she pointed her finger at the blonde.

- Great, then we can have some pizza now!

- Now? It still hurts a little – this time Brooke pouted.

- See? Right there, whiny!

- Am not! – she looked shocked.

- Are too!

Brooke shoved her tongue at Peyton, which seemed to end the discussion. About half an hour later, they finally agreed it was time for some decent food, so Peyton grabbed the phone while Brooke jumped around the room, happy with her regained ability to walk without getting sick.


	16. Whether with or without you

_Well, it's been a while, right? Sorry again, I started working on a new fic, that I should publish pretty soon. I just wanna have at least most of the story figured out so I won't have any long delays like I do sometimes with my two stories here! Oh, I mentioned I was gonna publish a story about Derek, but I decided not to, cause it wasn't really going anywhere and I don't even feel like writing that anymore, at least not for now. But I think you'll like the new one! Anyway, when I started writing this chapter I knew where I wanted to go with it, but then I changed it completely. That's why, all of a sudden, things happen too fast - sorry about that, but I didn't know how else to do it. I hope you like it anyway, and I'll probably won't take so much to put the next chapter here. Please review! ; )_**

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**

**Chapter 16 – Whether with or without you**

- I can _not_ believe you're doing this to me, you're like the worst best friend ever! – Brooke paced through Peyton's room, while the blonde put on her earrings.

- Brooke, will you stop being so dramatic? He asked me out, I like him, I'm going. Plus, you were the one who said, last month, that I should go out with him. I'm just gonna go out with him, it's not like I'm abandoning you forever – Peyton tried to reason with her.

- But you're abandoning me _now_ – Brooke pouted – On a Saturday night, when I've got absolutely _nothing_ to do.

- So what are you saying? You wanna come with me and Nathan and, I don't know, have a threesome? – Peyton grinned.

- P. Sawyer, you're starting to sound a lot like me! Only less funny, cause I hate you!

Peyton stopped and looked at Brooke, analyzing her, to finally conclude.

- Nah, you don't. And I don't see what the big deal is anyway, I mean, how many times did you ditch me to go out with a guy?

- None! – Peyton gave her a look – Well… none this week… as far as I can remember – she shrugged, and Peyton raised her eyebrow.

- See my point?

- But I never _ever_ left you alone when you weren't feeling ok!

When she heard that, Peyton stopped getting ready and looked at Brooke.

- You're not ok? What's going on?

- Well… you know… my parents are… fighting! Yes, they're fighting a lot… and…

Peyton raised her eyebrow while Brooke kept stumbling on her words.

- You are _so_ making this up, Davis! – she rolled her eyes.

- And now you don't believe my pain! You really are a terrible friend – Peyton ignored her for a while until she decided to speak again – Okay, I was totally lying, but that's not the point!

At that moment they hear a car hunk.

- That's Nathan, gotta go! – she grabbed her purse – You'll spend the night here?

- Yeah – Brooke sighed – it's not like I have a hot guy to go out with. Plus, I wanna know the details when you come back – she winks at her friends.

Peyton waved goodbye and Brooke saw her getting into some car with "Dan Scott Motors" written on the license plate.

- This isn't weird for you, is it? – Nathan and Peyton were at a bar, having some drinks thanks to the fake ID Brooke had made to all of her friends earlier that month.

- What? – Peyton asked him, a little confused.

- Us, going out. I mean, cause we're friends, you know?

- Doesn't feel weird to me – he leaned next to her and kissed her softly on the lips – Actually… it feels pretty damn good – she smiled and they kissed again.

So they talked and drank. Of course, the more they drank, the less they could actually talk, so by the end of the night all they could do was laugh and, oh yeah, make out. Peyton felt so comfortable around him, and he seemed to enjoy her company, too. It was really late when he pulled the car over in front of her house.

- Thanks for tonight, Nate. I had fun – she smiled.

- Yeah, me too – he softly took a blonde curl from her face and pressed his lips against hers passionately – I'll see you at school on Monday?

- Oh yeah, you bet – she whispered, slowly opening her eyes and staring at his blue ones – Good night.

- Good night.

He waited till she got inside the house, then drove away. She barely opened the door and Brooke was already there, bouncing in excitement.

- Oh my god, you two look so hot together!

- What? You were watching?

- Well, duh! You two are totally gonna be the hottest couple in school. So, did you have fun? Did you like it?

Peyton nodded, getting as excited as her friend, and started telling her everything. On Monday, Nathan looked for Peyton and they spent all day together. By the end of the week, Brooke's prediction had already become reality.

A couple weeks later they were all at the cafeteria, having lunch, when Nathan whispered something on Peyton's ear, making her giggle. Not long after that, both of them left the table.

- Geez, get a room! – Brooke mumbled, annoyed.

- I guess that's exactly what they're doing by now.

She looked up to see Jake, who was soon followed by Tim and some of the cheerleaders she used to hang out with. Jake smiled warmly at her.

- Everything alright, Brooke?

- I'm getting kinda sick of those two idiots! He's always popping out of nowhere, then she does that ridiculous giggling thing…

- Yeah, I know what you mean… he talks about her like she's perfect. She's not even that hot anyway – Tim suddenly spoke, causing Brooke to hit him.

- Hey, shut up, that's my best friend you're talking about!

- But you were just saying… - Tim looked confused from Brooke to Jake, who just shrugged, mouthing 'women…'

- Anyway, Brooke! I bet all you need is some Tim loving to cheer you up!

Brooke made a disgusted face and pushed Tim out of her way before walking out. School year is almost over, along with the basketball season. Brooke and Peyton started to feel distant from each other. They hung out together, and were always talking, but something was changed. Every time Brooke went to Peyton's, Nathan was already there. Brooke blamed it all on her friend's relationship with Nathan, cause it was easier. But it was more than that, and she knew it. Peyton was still there for her, always doing whatever she could to keep Brooke from feeling like a third wheel, and whenever Brooke was going out with a guy, they made a double date. But she still felt… disconnected to her best friend now. So when her parents decided to go to California on vacation and asked her if she wanted to go, she said yes. She could use some place new, some distraction. And maybe it would give her some time to think and figure out why she was so distant lately, not only from Peyton, but from all of her friends.

She was packing the last of her bags when Peyton entered the room, much to Brooke's surprise. Even though that scene used to be very common in the past, it didn't happen very often anymore.

- Hey – Peyton says with a small smile.

- Hey…

- So… did you find out how long you'll be there?

- Yeah, all summer – Brooke said, still packing.

- Look… I wrote you something. Just so you'll have something to read on the plane – Peyton handed her an envelope with "To B. Davis" written on it – Brooke… could you stop packing for one second?

Brooke stopped and sighed heavily, closing her eyes. Then she took the envelope and put it in her purse.

- You're sure everything's ok? – Peyton asked, and Brooke nodded – You need any help packing?

- This was the last one.

- Ok… I guess I'll see you in September then – Peyton said, sadly starting to leave.

Both girls hated the weirdness that suddenly seemed to be present in every conversation, every hug, every day. But none of them knew what to do to make it stop. Brooke was about to cry, and Peyton didn't even notice. They _always_ knew what the other one was feeling, and they couldn't understand how things could've changed so much, so fast.

- Peyton… - Brooke said quietly, and Peyton stopped by the door – I'm gonna miss you.

Peyton went back into the room and hugged Brooke tight.

- I'm gonna miss you too. Have fun, ok?

- You too.

And, with that, Peyton left. Brooke soon took her luggage downstairs and went to the airport with her parents. She was on the plane when she grabbed her purse to take her discman, and saw Peyton's letter. She immediately opened it.

"Hey friend… I have so much to say before you leave with your parents, but for some reason I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell you in person. But you have to know, so I'll just write.

I know things changed, and I can't help thinking it's my fault. Did I change that much? Did I let you down? Cause if I did, I'm _so _sorry, I never meant to. I like spending time with Nathan, I really do, but I still need my best friend. Sometimes I look at you, and I know something's up, but I can't even tell what it is. I used to be able to read you like a book, remember? And you too, when it came to me, when I was the one feeling sad. And it didn't matter how good I was at hiding it from the world, I could never hide it from you. I'd give anything to have that back.

We're gonna be ok again, right? I mean, we have to, we're P. Sawyer and B. Davis. You have no idea how much I'm gonna miss you, hell, I already do. I don't even know how long you'll be gone, but it doesn't matter. It'll be the first summer break I'll spend without seeing you all the time, and sleeping over… since I was 9 years old. It's gonna be weird. But I'm hoping that, whatever it is that you're looking for, you'll find it, and you'll be ok. I'm sorry I wasn't the friend you deserve lately. Just come back soon so things can start getting better, ok? I love you, don't ever for a second forget that.

Your best friend, always

Peyton."

Along with the letter there was a drawing. The drawing Peyton had made to Brooke on her 10th birthday, their first as best friends. Colorful, happy, representing what they were slowly losing, but they were gonna fight to get back. Brooke cried as she read it, hoping with all her heart things would be different 3 months from now.

* * *

_So... here's the thing! When the show started, it didn't seem like they were best friends _at all_, right? I mean, when Peyton's all upset about her mom Brooke keeps thinking it's cause she broke up with Nathan, it's like she doesn't know Peyton at all. And then, later on, they say how much Brooke was always there, specially after Peyton's mom died, so she _would_ know. And I'm trying to write what I actually believe could've happened, based on little facts and clues from the show, that's why they're a little more distant now. Oh, and Peyton and Nathan's date, I'm sorry, I'm a Naley and Jeyton, so I couldn't really write anything decent, my heart wasn't in it! LOL! What I remember them saying is that Nathan and Peyton used to talk sometimes and things weren't always as bad as they were when the show started, so I'm trying to recreate that. Just trying to remain true to the show. Anyway, my ramble here's probably longer than the chapter already, so I'll just stop! Thank you for reading! Oh, and the chapter title's a part of the song that names the fic, Alanis Marissette's _That I Would Be Good. 


	17. News

**Chapter 17 – News**

It was the end of summer already. Peyton had spent a lot of time with Nathan, sometimes she'd also hang out with his friends, or some of her own friends from school would call and they'd go somewhere. Brooke called her right after she got out of the plane, crying. She said she read the letter, she was sorry, that it wasn't Peyton's fault… at least not _just_ her fault. She said she wasn't herself lately, that's why she needed to be away for a while, but at that moment, as soon as she got to California, she almost regretted leaving Tree Hill for the summer. Peyton cursed herself for not noticing something was up with her best friend, then talked to Brooke till them both started to feel a little better. But, after that, they only talked one more time over the phone. Larry came home for a month, Peyton was happy to have her dad around for so long. So, between spending time with her father, spending time with her boyfriend, and eventually hanging out with friends, she kept herself busy. Brooke, on the other hand, was left at the hotel by her parents right on their second night, with nothing too exciting to do. So she spent a week from hell not doing anything other than watching TV or swimming in the pool. On the second week, she met this group of friends who were there on vacation, and, with that, her life was saved. She hung out with them for the seven days they were there, and by the time they left she already knew a bunch of people to go to parties with. It wasn't the same as being with her real friends, but a few drinks solved that problem every time it started bothering her. But it was time to go back now, and even though she missed Peyton, Jake, her squad, god, even Nathan, like crazy, she was nervous. She decided not to tell anyone the exact day she was going back, she was hoping things would get easier once she got back home. So the first thing she did when she got to Tree Hill was call Peyton. When she got the answering machine at her friend's house, she dialed her cell phone number. Just when she was about to give up someone answered. But it wasn't Peyton.

- Nathan? – Brooke said right after he said hello.

- Brooke! Wow, good to know you're still alive.

- I missed you too, Nate. Is Peyton around?

- She's in the shower, want me to tell her to call you back?

Brooke was gonna say something, but she heard Dan's voice, soon followed by Nathan's "whatever, dad". It was like 9 in the morning, and Peyton was in the shower, at Nathan's house? That could only mean one thing. They were having sex, of course they were! And she didn't even tell Brooke anything. Best friends were supposed to talk to each other about stuff like that, weren't they? God knows _she_ talked about it.

- Brooke? You're still there? – Nathan's voice brought her back to reality, and she noticed she'd kept quiet for a long time.

- Yeah… yeah, I'm here. Just… never mind, ok? I'll call her later – and she hung up the phone, leaving a confused Nathan at the other line.

- Was that my phone? – Peyton asked, coming out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, and using another one to dry her hair.

- Yeah, it was Brooke, she sounded a little weird, too.

- Brooke? She's back from California?

- I don't know, she called from her cell phone, maybe she's still there…

Peyton called the familiar number, hoping Brooke would answer. But the phone kept ringing till it got disconnected.

- I'm just gonna go there. If she's back, I wanna make sure she's alright.

- But, Peyton, we had plans today – Nathan complained.

- Sorry, Nate, we're gonna have to cancel – she said, gathering her stuff and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

- It's ok… Tell Brooke I said hi, alright?

- I will. Bye.

They kissed again and Peyton went to her car. The awesome car her dad had given her that summer. He bought it for her as soon as he got to Tree Hill, but was afraid she might get hurt or be an irresponsible driver. It took her a long time and a lot of spins around the block to convince him she wasn't gonna get hurt. The others, on the other hand, weren't as safe near her car. She drove to Brooke's and saw her parents' car parked outside. Her parents were home, that was a rare occasion. She thought it'd be appropriate to ring the bell for once.

- Peyton! How was your summer? – Brooke's mom smiled and hugged the girl when she saw who it was – You must miss Brooke, right? She's in her room.

Peyton smiled back and walked to her friend's room. Brooke's parents were just too weird. Sometimes they'd be yelling at each other, or fighting about their daughter and saying how much of a disappointment she was, and next thing she knew, they were all happy asking about other people's summer. She had given up on understanding them a long time ago. The door was half open, so she made her way in, and saw Brooke by the window.

- New car? – Brooke asked, her back turned to her friend, looking at Peyton's car parked outside.

- Yeah… my dad gave it to me, as soon as he got here.

- It's nice – she stated, her voice chocking on a few tears.

- Brooke… - Peyton said, softly, going on her friend's direction – Will you tell me what's happening?

- Well, maybe I should say something… cause _you_ sure as hell don't.

Peyton took a step back, not expecting that kind of reaction.

- You didn't even call, Peyton, not once. And you got a car, and you're having sex with Nathan, and I just thought…

- Whoa! Nathan tell you anything?

- It's pretty obvious, unless you ran out of hot water in your house and had to use his shower this early in the morning.

- Alright, you got me there – Peyton bit her lower lip, then looked back at her friend – Is that why you're so upset? Cause I didn't talk to you about it?

- No! – Brooke closed her eyes and sighed – I mean, maybe it's a part of it. You don't tell me anything anymore, Peyton. I feel like I don't even know you.

- Don't say that – Peyton lowered her head – Look… when you left, you said you needed some time away from it al…

- So what? You think that meant our friendship was put on hold during that time? That you couldn't call me and talk to me about things?

- We haven't been able to talk about things for a while now, you know that.

- Yeah… for some reason I thought things were gonna change. Guess I was wrong.

- What do you want me to do? What can I say to change this, then?

- That's the thing… I don't think there's anything we can do.

- What do you mean with that?

- I guess… let's just wait, see what happens.

Peyton looked down for a while, sitting on her friend's bed, then looked back up, smiling softly.

- Do I have to wait at home? Cause I'm dying to see all the stuff you bought. I mean, Brooke Davis, for three months, walking around Rodeo Drive? You gotta have some good stuff in there.

They both laughed, nervously at first, but, slowly, the tension was turning into familiarity, comfort.

- Actually, we were only in LA for a month. And I only went to Rodeo Drive like…

- Every day! – Peyton completed her sentence, and Brooke playfully punched her – I'm sorry I didn't call, I really am. I missed you, Brooke.

Brooke smiled, and Peyton rushed to hug her. Brooke hugged her back.

- I missed you, too, P. Sawyer.

They spent the rest of the day unpacking Brooke's bags. To Peyton's surprise, Brooke get her one present from each city she'd visited. And they were great gifts, too. T-shirts, purses, backpacks, and some postcards. Turns out Brooke even got an official Lakers shirt for Nathan, and souvenirs for each girl in the squad and the guys on the team. For that day, things seemed to be getting better, and Brooke was getting back to her old self. They had only a few days before classes started, and Brooke spent these days seeing all of her friends, giving him the souvenirs, and catching up on everything that happened during the summer. Jake was the only one she didn't get to see. She asked her friends about him, they said they'd barely seen him since classes were over. Then Tim made a smart ass remark about how he must've been with Brooke, cause they were both nowhere to be found.

- Shut up, Tim. We always knew Brooke was in California, unlike Jagielski, who literally disappeared. I just hope he comes back before basketball season starts.

- Nathan, were you defending me just now? Wow, you really liked the shirt I got you, huh? – Brooke smirked, and they all laughed.

Sophomore year was starting, which meant the start of the basketball season too. On their first week at school, Brooke gathered all the cheerleaders and checked to see how many new girls they needed this year. She was really excited about being the ones who was gonna choose the new girls and hosting the try-outs and, of course, made Peyton vice-captain so that both of them could choose. By Friday, they already had about 30 girls, who were gonna try-out to fill the two spots that were available.

- I can't believe you dragged me into this again! – Peyton laughed, enjoying some music before the girls came.

- Come on, I dragged you into cheerleading, it was only fair I dragged you into that too – she grinned - How can you not be excited?

- Oh, I don't know, maybe cause we've already done this about 5 times.

- Sure... but, my friend, it's the first time we do this in high school. It's way more important, and a bigger deal. Come on, it's gonna be fun – she turned Peyton's iPod off and almost got slapped cause of it, but was saved by the girls entering the place.

There were a lot of good ones, actually. Captain and vice-captain spent the rest of the day trying to decide on which ones to choose. They were on Peyton's bedroom when their final decision was made. This girl, at their grade, named Bevin, and a freshman called Theresa. So Peyton printed the "list" on her computer. They were gonna hang it all over school the next day.

- Hey, Peyton, is that a webcam? – Brooke pointed to something inside her friend's closet, that she wasn't sure what was.

- Yeah! My dad and I bought it, it makes it easier for us to talk when he's away.

- It's pretty cool, actually.

- Plus, check this out – Peyton showed Brooke a project for a website – I'll leave it online so people can see it.

- You mean… see you, in your room, all the time? You're seriously disturbed, you know that?

- Ok, first of all, I resent that. Second of all, it's not gonna be all the time. When I don't anyone to see me, I'll just throw a shirt or a towel over it, like that – she threw a towel on Brooke's face, ignoring her friend's shocked expression.

Next day they announced who the new cheerleaders were, and the new girls didn't disappoint them. They were really good, but, of course, a little raw. Nothing that a lot of cheer practice with Cheer Nazi, as Peyton sweetly referred to Brooke as when she got too worked up about something, couldn't fix.

Nathan had all the spotlights on him, now playing as a shooting guard. The guys who were considered the stars of the team had graduated the year before. He was the start now, and surprised everyone. They knew he was good. They never guessed he was _that_ good. The cheerleaders competed, for the second time, on Sparkle Classic, the cheerleading competition. Brooke was convinced she was gonna get them first place, but the Bear Creek Warriors won… again. Brooke and Peyton were talking more now, but it still wasn't the same. They both knew it, but figured it was better leaving things this way than saying something and risking getting even more distant. As time passed by, they just got used to it.

- So, what did he do this time? – Brooke asked as soon as Peyton stepped into her room. Peyton and Nathan were fighting a lot more often lately. Suddenly all he cared about was basketball, and he treated Peyton like dirt most of the time.

- It's nothing, he just… - Peyton sighed – just said he needed to practice some more, get ready for the game tomorrow. Here – she threw a couple of CDs at her friend's bed – I bought those just now. Wanna listen to them? It's just no fun to listen alone and in silence without you complaining.

- I don't _always_ complain! Hey, you got Tegan and Sara! See? I like that! – she smirked and ran to her stereo to put the CD on. Peyton's cell phone started ringing.

- Yeah? – she picked it up.

- Peyton? Hey, I just wanted to apologize for canceling on you today. You know how much my dad has been hammering me about the game tomorrow… - it was Nathan. Sure, the guy could be an ass sometimes, but at least he apologized for it later. Thing is, becoming the best player on the team did wonders for his already huge ego, and Peyton wasn't sure how much longer she could take that.

- Whatever, Nathan, we'll talk tomorrow before the game, alright?

- Yeah, sure. But we're ok, right?

It took her a while, but she finally answered it.

- Right – and then she hung up – Well, at least he apologizes – Peyton rolled her eyes, throwing her phone on the bed.

- I still don't get why you'd let him treat you this way.

- Are you gonna start with this again?

- I just… don't get it, ok?

Truth is, Peyton didn't know either. She didn't know why she was still with him. Sure, he was hot, good kisser, good in bed, and, sometimes, even a good boyfriend. But they barely talked now, it was either fight or have sex. But she was used to having him around. It wasn't like they were madly in love with each other, but they still cared about one another. It was safe, and, in her life, she didn't get much of that feeling. It was hard letting go.

* * *

_I really hope I'm doing a good job fitting it all to the show. The story only has two more chapters left. You know what's funny? I was typing the fic here, and the second Brooke sees Tegan and Sara's CD, Don't Confess started playing on my iTunes randomly, and as I was writing the scene, when the song plays, it was actually playing here. I thought it was kinda cool! LOL! Anyway, as usual, please review and let me know what you think! Thanks!_


	18. Acceptance

_Hey guys! It's been a while I haven't updated here, but that's only cause I didn't want to finish this story! And next chapter's the last already. I'm actually sad about it! But anyway, I hope you like this one. And I'm doing a triple update today! I'm updating all my in-progress stories! So there's this one, and new updates for Kill the Pain and Someone Like Me too. Have I told about Someone Like Me? It's a rather new story I'm writing, in which Peyton doesn't have a big brother, but a little sister! You should check it out! Well, please review!_**

* * *

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**Chapter 18 – Acceptance**

She takes her pen and the sketch book she couldn't live without. She doesn't think about it, she never did, she just draws. Slowly, the shapes start to make more sense, the drawing takes form. A graveyard, with a tombstone, and a blonde, curly haired young girl kneeled in front of it, crying. The words on the tombstone are visible, it reads LOVE and TRUST. A knock on the door brings Peyton back to reality. It's Nathan.

- Ready to go?

_Unbelievable_, she thinks. They just had a fight at school a few hours ago, and now he was there as if nothing happened.

- I think I'll just stay home today, Nathan.

- Really? – he smirks – In that case, maybe I should stay, too. I'm sure we can have so much more fun in here than at some stupid party – he leans to kiss her, but she moves away from him – What's gotten into you? You're PMSing again? Cause that'd be the third time in a month!

- You're kidding, right? After everything you said to me in school today you really thought I was gonna have sex with you? You're unbelievable sometimes!

- Wow! I'm sorry if I wanted to spend some time with my girlfriend.

- And I'm sorry for wanting my boyfriend to stop being a jerk! Oh, wait, I'm _not_ sorry for that!

- Well, at least this jerk is the only one who takes your crap! I could easily find someone else, but do you really think any sane guy would stand being around you for as long as I have?

Peyton was used to their arguments, but she wasn't expecting this from him, and it hurt. He had gone too far, and he knew it.

- I'm sorry, I didn't mean it…

- Get out of here, Nathan. Go to your party, or go to hell, I don't care, just get out of here!

- Peyton…

- I'm serious, Nathan, just get out! – she raised her voice, not wanting him to see the tears forming in her eyes.

He left, not saying another word. Peyton went back to her desk and started drawing again. Flames, fire, hell. And herself. Right in the middle of it all.

X X X X X

Brooke was getting ready for the party, while talking to Bevin on the phone. The girl needed a ride. Brooke was dying to show everyone her car. Brooke's parents noticed she wasn't well, she was different, sad, for a few months now, ever since she got back from California. So they did the only thing they knew. Instead of trying to talk to her, they bought her something. Something expensive. She knew it was a way for them to feel less guilty for not even being there, but, hey, it was a car after all! An amazing car that she loved. It was one of the very few times their bribe tactic actually worked. She was much happier after that. She was also getting drunk more often, in almost every party she went to, actually, but it's not like her parents were ever home to notice. When things were bad, Peyton would take her to her home, but, most of the time, Brooke went back home and dealt with it by herself. She finished putting on her make up and left the house.

X X X X X

- Nathaaaaaaaaaaaan! – Brooke went to him, almost falling, when he grabbed her to prevent it from happening.

- Brooke, hey. You're drunk already!

- So are you, mister! – she pointed her finger at him.

- Yeah, maybe a little – he laughed.

- So… where's that girlfriend of yours? – he didn't answer, and looked guilty as charged, so she shook her head in disappointment – You were fighting again? God, Nathan, is that all you can do?

- Actually, I can do something else, but she didn't feel like it – he smirked – She was on full brooding mode today.

- Really? Feeling needy then, aren't we? – she laughed and walked away, to get another drink – Just don't get yourself in trouble!

X X X X X

Brooke woke up the next day. She was home, in her bed, but had no idea how she'd gotten there. She got up and the usual headache paid her a visit. The girl mumbled something and went to the kitchen to prepare the goo Peyton invented the first time Brooke was hung over. She opened the refrigerator, and, as she looked at the calendar, her face went pale. How could she forget it? She'd never forgotten, not once over the past 8 years. She prepared the hang over mix in a heartbeat, managed to drink it without throwing up, and grabbed her car keys. She felt like shit, her stomach turning, headache, and a little weakness. But none of it mattered right now.

X X X X X

Peyton hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. It was almost unbelievable, but after all this time, the pain was still the same. Just as strong, and bad, and hurtful as always. Only this was the first time she was going through it alone. And that made it all hurt even more. It was morning already when she was finally able to rest her eyes, crying herself to sleep.

X X X X X

The brunette parked her car outside the house she considered her second home. Or even her first, sometimes. She rushed to Peyton's bedroom, and saw her friend curled up in bed, asleep. Her face made it very obvious she'd been crying, a lot, and it broke Brooke's heart. People could think it was because of the fight she'd had with Nathan the day before, but she knew what it was. Only she was so distant from her best friend she didn't even remember it till this morning. Brooke carefully laid down in bed, facing a sleepy Peyton. She gently stroked her friend's curly hair, careful not to wake her up.

- I'm sorry... – she whispered.

She stood there for a while, eventually dozing off for a few minutes, but immediately waking up again, till Peyton opened her eyes. She was confused to see her friend's caring eyes looking straight at hers.

- Hey, buddy.

- Brooke?

- I'm so sorry, Peyton. I should've been here…

- It's ok… I can't expect you to remember it for the rest of your life. You've been a great friend all these years… I always knew I was gonna have to deal with this alone at some point.

- No. I don't want you to deal with this alone. I was always with you, and it won't change. No matter what shit we're going through, I won't let you do this alone again.

Peyton sat up, holding her knees and not saying a word. Brooke sat in bed, too, enveloping her friend into a hug. Peyton let herself cry on Brooke's shoulder.

- Brooke… - Peyton said, softly. Brooke pulled apart from her friend to look at her.

- What?

- I wanna go to the cemetery…

- You do? You haven't been there since…

- Yeah – she interrupted – I know. It's been hard, just thinking about it, but I have to – they were both in silence for a while, looking down, till Peyton talked again, raising her head to look at Brooke – Could you come with me?

Brooke smiled, holding the blonde girl's hand.

- Of course. But… can I just do one thing first?

- Sure. What is it?

Peyton didn't even have time to finish the question, cause Brooke was already halfway to the bathroom to throw up. About 5 minutes later, seeing her friend coming back, Peyton raised an eyebrow.

- Do I even wanna know?

Brooke smiled, shaking her head and mouthing "no".

- Come on, Goldilocks. Let's go visit your mom.

X X X X X

They parked the car and walked for a while.

- You know… I can't even remember the exact place. It's been so long… We should ask someone – Peyton started walking in another direction, when Brooke linked arms, leading her back to the direction they were going before.

- It's right there, behind those trees – she pointed the trees, about 80 feet away from them.

- How can you remember it? – Peyton looked at her, surprised.

- I come here to talk to her every once in a while, to let her know how you're doing. I know it's hard for you, so I thought she'd like it if I came here from time to time, let her know how much her little girl misses her – Brooke smiled. Peyton was looking at her, at a loss for words, so she just hugged her.

- You're amazing, you know that? – she said, her head rested on Brooke's shoulder.

Brooke smiled as she took her friend's hand and led her to Anna's grave. She didn't feel like she was that great right now. She still couldn't believe she'd forgotten to be there for Peyton the day before. She stopped about 20 feet away from the tombstone, leaving Peyton alone to talk to her mom. She saw Peyton kneeling, gently passing her fingers through her mother's name, and then starting to sob. The girl was shaking, and Brooke wanted more than anything to just hold Peyton as she cried, but she knew she shouldn't intrude. It was just like the moment Peyton got back home right after the funeral. A private moment, just between the two of them. But she had things to say too. So, from where she was, Brooke lifted her head up, looking at the sky, as she said, quietly.

"Hey, Mrs. Sawyer. Remember me? I haven't come here in a while, I know. I'm sorry I haven't been there for Peyton lately, not like I should have. But you have to know that your girl… she's my girl too. And I don't know what I'd do without your daughter. You should know she's an amazing person, and I know you're proud of her. Remember the first time I was here? I promised I'd look after her. At some point, I guess I failed. But it won't happen again, ok? I'm trying, I really am. Things are gonna change. It may take a while, but they will, I promise."

Brooke looked back at Peyton and saw she was still crying. She hadn't said a word out loud, and yet, Brooke knew she was talking to Anna in her own way. Then she turned to Brooke, still on her knees, and gave her a small smile. Brooke knew it meant it was ok for her to come close, so she joined Peyton. She gave her a side hug and let Peyton rest her head on her shoulder, while Brooke stroked her hair.

- Thanks for coming with me – Peyton whispers, a few tears leaving her eyes.

- I'm glad I came. I'm glad we both came – she softly kissed Peyton's head, before looking back at her – So… what do you wanna do now, Sawyer?

- I think we should go home and take care of this hang over of yours, Davis – she laughed, but Brooke shrugged.

- I'm a little better already. Plus, the day's too beautiful to be spent inside. We could go to the park, take a walk, maybe even talk for a change.

- I like that idea.

Before they left, Peyton turned back to her mom's grave.

- Bye, mom. I'll visit more often from now on. I promise.

Brooke smiled, and the girls left.

* * *

_So... the whole cemetery scene... I wrote this chapter before this week's episode, when Peyton takes Lucas to talk to her mom and introduce him to her and stuff, so I had no idea that was happening on the show. I didn't try to copy it or anything. Although... I've had some ideas before, and a couple of weeks later, there they were, on the show! Kinda freaky! LOL! But anyway, just to make it clear. Next chapter's gonna be the last one, and I'm actually sad about it cause I loved writing this story! Sooo... let me know what you thought of this chapter, ok? Last one's gonna be here in no time! _


	19. They always come back

**Chapter 19 – Epilogue – They always come back**

Peyton's sitting on a bench by the park. It was a beautiful day, and it was just not worth staying home. Brooke comes with two bottles of water and sits beside her friend.

- You ok? – she asks Peyton, who nods, smiling.

- Thanks for going to the cemetery with me. It gets a little easier as the years pass, but still…

- I know. And hey, I promised I'd look out for you – Brooke smiles and softly elbows her friend, right before drinking some water. But she knows something else is worrying Peyton – Sawyer… what's up?

Peyton knows it's not worth denying these things, not when it comes to Brooke.

- I'm sorry.

Brooke keeps looking at the blonde, waiting for her to continue. When she doesn't, Brooke looks at her, confused.

- For what, exactly?

- Everything, I guess. Everything with Lucas, and…

- Whoa! Why are you bringing this up now? I thought we were over the whole high school drama already.

- Yeah, yeah. I know we are. I was just thinking… how we never really talked about it. And I wanted you to know…

- Peyton… I know. And, just so you'll know, I'm sorry, too. I guess we had to go through it all, so that everything we have now, we don't take it for granted. We were looking for ourselves, we barely knew who we were or what we wanted. When I was younger, I thought I could be the perfect friend for you. It was so easy when we were kids… You disappointed me, with the whole thing with Lucas, and I know I disappointed you too, with Nathan, and the stuff I said about your mom, which, btw, I already apologized to her for. I slapped you in the face, and you, missy – she points her finger at Peyton – you totally punched me!

- Yeah, sorry about that – Peyton bites her lower lip, while the two of them laugh.

- None of it matters anymore, ok? We make mistakes. I can't be perfect, and neither can you, or Jake, or, god knows, Lucas. I guess what really matters is that, even with all the shit that's happened, we're still here for each other. And you're still my best friend.

- Yeah. I still can't figure this out, by the way. We can't seem to get read of each other, so we might as well accept it once and for all.

Brooke pouts, feigning a hurt expression, while the blonde girl laughs and hugs her best friend.

- Best friends forever, remember?

- How could I forget, BFF? – Peyton holds her fist in the air, and they do a knuckle bump.

- Mommy, mommy! – a little 4 year old girl, with dark blond hair and amazing blue eyes comes running happily on Brooke and Peyton's direction – Guess what Jenny just told me?

Brooke smiles at the side of her little girl, takes her with a hug and sits the girl on her lap.

- Oh, let me guess… she said the new dress I got you is too pink, and you should exchange it for a pair of old jeans and a concert t-shirt? – Brooke grins, but soon gets elbowed by Peyton, letting out an exaggerated 'ouch'.

- No – the girl looks confused.

Brooke and Peyton both laugh, then Brooke strokes her daughter's wavy hair softly.

- I'm sorry, princess. So tell me… what did Jenny say?

- She said I'm her best friend in the whole world, and that we'll be friends forever – the girl smiles, proudly.

- Hey, Lilly, come back here! – a 9 year old blonde girl with curly hair looks at them.

Brooke and Peyton laugh as the kid on Brooke's lap jumps. Jenny takes her hand and they run back to where they were playing before.

- I still have a hard time believing she's not really your kid – Brooke says, still looking at Jenny.

- I know, I almost forget it sometimes. It just feels so right. She calls me 'mom', and for a second it's almost like she's all mine.

- She is. You know that. I mean, that kid couldn't be more like you if she had come out of you. And she loves you, just like you love her. And that's what being a mother is all about, isn't it?

- Since when did you become so good at this?

Brooke smiles as she sees Lilly, and there's no better answer than the way she looks at the little girl.

- You know my kid is starting to act a lot more P. Sawyer than B. Davis like? That's kinda scary! Jenny's a bad influence!

- Well, thank god! Someone has to teach the girl to listen to some decent music. Specially since you spent your whole pregnancy listening to Beyoncé and Pussycat Dolls!

- I had to, ok? She needed some happy stuff so she wouldn't be broody like her dad! And her godmother, I might add!

Peyton laughs at the thought and had to agree. And, seeing the girl there, she had a lot of Lucas in her, but broodiness, that wasn't one of those things.

- It's amazing, isn't it? Jenny's 9, she's so big and grown up… and yet they're best friends… I mean, looking at them now, they could be…

- Sisters – Brooke completes her friend's sentence, while Peyton nods, smiling.

- I get so scared sometimes – Peyton suddenly says, cause Brooke to look at her in surprise.

- Scared? Of what? They can't take her away from you and Jake, you've had her for what? 6 years now?

- It's not that. She's 9 years old, Brooke. I know it's stupid, but I get _so_ scared that something could happen. I don't want Jenny to ever have to grow up without a mother, and everytime I go pick her up at the school, I'm in my car and all I can think about is my mom, picking me up, and… I know it's crazy, I mean, she died when I was 9, doesn't mean the same thing will happen to me…

- You're babbling – Brooke says sweetly, with half a smile, which Peyton returns – It's a little crazy – she says, carefully – But it's totally understandable that you feel like this. There's nothing to be afraid of, Peyton. We can't control those things, but we have to trust that they're gonna work out. It worked so far, so maybe you shouldn't worry so much – she winks.

Peyton nods and sighs.

- You're right. I'll just try not to think about it so much.

- But… I could go and pick Jenny up at school, at least this week, if you want to. This week's always hard, maybe you won't even think about it this much 10 days from now.

- Maybe… Thanks, Brooke.

- Hey… you're an amazing mother, and that girl is gonna turn into a wonderful woman. And you'll be there, through it all. You and Jake.

- But you know that's not enough, right?

Brooke looks confused, and starts to say something, when Peyton continues.

- She's gonna need her newly appointed BFF, too.

Brooke laughs at what she says.

- You think they're gonna be like us in a few years?

- What? The drama, bitchslaps, punches?

- You know, Peyton, sometimes I almost forget of those fun moments in our lives. But that's not what I mean. You remember the day I promised I wasn't gonna leave you alone?

- Of course I remember. You said we were gonna be friends forever.

- I also said our kids were gonna grow up together, and that they were gonna be best friends, too.

- Oh my god, you did! I didn't remember! But I guess you were right all along. You really know stuff!

- I really do – she says, proudly.

They look at their girls and see a couple of kids saying something to Lilly. Something that obviously upsets her. But the little girl has her mom's temper, and immediately answers back. When the boy pushes her, almost causing her to fall, Peyton immediately gets up to go there, but Brooke stops her.

- Brooke! What are you doing? You're gonna let them hurt your daughter?

- They won't hurt her – she replies, calmly – She's got someone watching over her.

-What do you mean?

- Peyton… when we were 9, did you ever let anyone hurt me?

- No, they didn't even try, they knew better than that.

- My point exactly.

Peyton didn't really get it, until she saw Jenny going to the kids' direction, with both her hands on her waist, and yelling at the ones who were bothering her friend. She was at least 3 years older than any of them, so they were quickly out of sight. Jenny hugs Lilly, and she immediately smiles again.

- How did you know? – Peyton looks at Brooke, surprised.

- They're our daughters, P. Sawyer. Simple as that. Now do you have any doubts if they'll be just like us?

- They already are – the blonde girl smiles as she says it.

Brooke's eyes tear up as she rests her head on her best friend's shoulder.

Is there such thing as forever? For a love, for a friendship, for a feeling? If it does, it's definitely not something you can take for granted, something that's already there, and is always gonna be. It's something you have to fight for, everyday of your life. When you apologize and they forgive; when they regret their mistakes, and you understand; when they say something and can't take it back, and you're able to forget it; when you're the one who has to forgive, and you're strong enough to do so. Completely, with no restrictions.

You can't expect people to be perfect, all the time. When you love someone too much, sometimes you may think of them as flawless. They've always been there for you, they've always cared, they've always helped. But then something happens, and suddenly you see their flaws. Cause they make mistakes, just like everybody else. They make choices they're not proud of, and they hurt you, most of the time cause they're also hurting, too much, and they need to let it out, somehow. They can go away for no real reason. Or you can push them away, when you're the one who can't find another way to deal. People always leave? Maybe it's true. Maybe everyone, at a certain moment of their lives, has to leave. For a week, for a month, for a year, for good… But the ones who matter the most, those few truly special people you come across in your life, they _always_ come back.

* * *

_So... that's it! Story's over. I thought it was a good way to end it, hopefully you'll like it, too. The other chapter ended almost by the time the show started, so it wouldn't make sense if I wrote everything that we know happened on the show. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and the whole story! Oh, just one thing... Peyton mentions that she was 9 when her mom died, and on the show they keep changing it. At first, and for a long time, they said she died when Peyton was 8, it's there even on one of Peyton's podcasts. And when I started writing the fic, I started with them as 9 year olds cause I couldn't remember whether Peyton was 8 or 9, so I just went on with it. Later on, they said it's been 8 years Anna died, which would mean Peyton and Brooke would be 10! But it's just a detail, and I just wanted to make it clear, that Peyton should be 8 when the story started, I made a mistake, made her as a 9 year old, so that's why I went on with it! And make sure to check my other ongoing stories, _Kill the Pain_ and _Someone Like Me_! Hopefully Brooke and Peyton will finally be friends again after everything that's happened on the show. I sure miss it! And this was kind of my way to show how much I love their friendship. Thank you so much for everyone who's read and always reviewed and helped me through the story, it means soooo much, you have no idea! So thank you all!_


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